A New Beginning
by xxTopazHeartxx
Summary: A Blue Blood's fanfiction that takes place after Masquerade.  Tells the story of Jack Force, Mimi Force, Schuyler Van Alen, Oliver Hazard Perry, Bliss Llewellyn, and Dylan Ward.
1. The Question

A New Beginning

**Chapter 1: The Question**  
Word Count: 1,640

Sitting on one of the luxurious, plush, cushioned chairs in the deluxe

lounge seating of La Grenouille, Schuyler Van Alen shifted awkwardly in her

seat. She hadn't said anything all evening, even though they had just arrived, and she could feel Oliver's eyes burning holes into her forehead as she looked down at her menu. She was glad she took a course in French, but she didn't need to translate anything on the menu; she knew exactly what she wanted.

"What are you having, Sky?" Oliver managed to say. His voice stayed blasé and nonchalant, but when she looked up, she could see the uncomfortable look on his face as he looked at his own menu. Ever since she had made him her familiar, preformed the Sacred Kiss, even the simplest things between her and Oliver had been awkward to the extreme.

"I'm thinking of having the steak tartare." Schuyler said indifferently, trying to replicate Oliver's tone. She still managed to blush; it just reminded her of what she had done. Even with her head tilted down, she still could see Oliver freeze in place for a moment.

"What about you?" she asked him casually, even though his response upset her.

"I'm thinking the Les Ravioles de Homard à l'Estragon. I have heard it is delicious here, and I am in the mood for lobster and ravioli." Oliver said with a smile. Suddenly, the waitress came up to their table and greeted them.

"Hello, sir, madam," she acknowledged Oliver, then Schuyler. Oliver nodded. "How may I help you this evening?"

Schuyler looked up. "Could I please have the, um, steak tartare?" she asked quietly. She was still embarrassed for having to special order her meal. Earlier, she had protested, but Oliver just waved her away. He hadn't seen her for a while, and he would do anything to have some time alone with her.

"And for you?" the waitress turned to Oliver.

"Do you have any recommendations?" he asked her while handing her his menu.

"I prefer the Le Rognon de Veau Moutardier, Flambé Grande Fine, which has just the right supply of mustard flavor. The Le Foie de Veau Poëlé aux Dattes et Oignons is spectacular also, and comes with dates and onions." she said after a moment.

"How about the Les Ravioles de Homard à l'Estragon?" Oliver asked her in slick French.

"The tarragon in that choice is simply amazing, too. It is light, but makes the cuisine a delicious option for a main course." Schuyler looked down at her chipping dark purple polish. Her stomach was turning due to the fact that the waitress just suggested that her friend order veal kidney with

mustard, and pan seared calf's liver with dates and onions. Even if she was human, that still wouldn't have appealed to her at all.

Once the waitress was gone, Oliver turned back to his friend.

"So, tell me," he said, leaning on his hands; his elbows on the table. "What is it like existing in the Force's abode? Has Mimi tried to kill you again?" Oliver said it jokingly, but Schuyler didn't find it amusing at all.

"Actually, it has been…interesting, to say the least." Schuyler said, not offering anymore information. Oliver looked clearly disappointed. He sat back in his chair.

"What do you mean? I thought you would have some "dirty" details about the fabulous Mimi Force. What does she **really** look like?" This time, Schuyler laughed at Oliver's joke. She placed a stray hair behind her ear, which for once was not up in a bun or ponytail.

"I don't really see her that often, I guess. After school, she is usually on her way to Block 122 or Barney's. She also probably doesn't want to be in my company, anyway." **And vice versa.** Schuyler thought silently.

They were quiet for a moment, both not wanting to bring up another subject. Jack.

"So, what do you have to do in the house?" Oliver asked, striking up the conversation, not wanting it to be silent, the way it was before.

Schuyler thought for a moment, before she composed an answer.

"Well, they have a lot of space, for one thing. They have almost everything you can think of, to keep busy. They even have a library, you know, for me." She didn't add that she frequently found Jack in the library, also.

"Oh, really?" Oliver asked, while sipping his water. He couldn't help staring at Schuyler. She noticed it, and blushed again. She became self conscious, and adjusted her sheer Catherine Malandrino cardigan and D&G black jeans that were in her closet back at the Force's. She first tried to exit the house in her usual floor-length skirt and holey sweater, but Trinity Force stopped her, and made her go change. Actually, Trinity was the kindest to her out of all the Forces, including Jack. It was Trinity that helped pick out the clothes that she put in the guest room closet to help welcome Schuyler into the family. Even though she appreciated it, the act of kindness made Schuyler feel like she wasn't in her own skin, and rather in Mimi's.

Suddenly, two servers approached them with their orders. With her heightened sense of smell, Schuyler could smell the food right when it exited the kitchen. She inhaled the scent of her raw steak as it was set in front of her. Without another word between Oliver and Schuyler, they both dug into their meals. Schuyler felt the meat melt on her tongue, and she realized that she felt famished. She continued to eat rapidly until her plate was empty. She looked up at her friend.

"How is the ravioli?" she asked him. Oliver gave her the thumbs up sign, and continued eating.

When they were both finished, Oliver called for the check, and took care of it. Schuyler got up slowly, and started to turn to get her coat which was placed on the back of her chair. Oliver appeared behind her and helped her get her long, knee-length coat on, which was also an article of clothing provided by the Forces.

"Um, thank you, Oliver." Schuyler said. When she turned around, Oliver was grinning.

"Shall we?" he said, holding his arm out for her to take. She nodded, and weaved her arm through his. They had been doing that even when they were kids, but now it felt…different. More passionate, at least from his side. Schuyler tensed up when she realized this.

As they made their way to his town car, he opened the door for her and let her first. She sat in the back, as usual, but instead of sitting in the middle, she sat close to the window, and stared out.

Not taking the hint, Oliver sat down in the middle seat, right next to Schuyler. She let a wall of her hair separate her from him, and they sat silently until the driver stopped at the Force residence.

Schuyler quickly climbed over Oliver, and exited the car. He quickly jumped up.

"I'll walk you to the door!" he said, not wanting her to leave so hurriedly. She sighed, waiting for him to get out of the car, but what she wanted to do more than anything was run as fast as she could to get away from a mess that she might have created.

Oliver shut the door of the car, motioning to his driver to wait for him. He smiled down at Schuyler, and held his hand out. She took it unwillingly as they trudged to the door. Oliver was making a point to walk painfully slowly, as where Schuyler was almost pulling him to the entranceway. She was itching to get inside.

When they got to the door, Schuyler forced a smile.

"I had fun, Ollie. Thanks for taking me out. Maybe we could hang out soon, okay?" She took her hand from his and put it impatiently on the doorknob. She waited for him to say something; looking at him anxiously with her bright eyes.

"No problem." Oliver hesitated for a moment, and looked at the girl standing in front of him. Her dark hair was blowing in the wind, and her cheeks were red from the cool breeze. A gust of wind came their way, and pulled a strand of hair from behind her ear.

Without a thought, Oliver reached down to put it back in place, his hand skimming her warm cheek. Quickly, he leaned down, and kissed her soft lips gently.

When he stood up, he looked down, nervously.

"Well, um, see you later, Sky." he said, before scampering off to his car.   
Schuyler stood there in shock, one hand still frozen on the doorknob, and the other where Oliver's lips had been. Her blue eyes stared in front of her, where Oliver had stood, before he left.

New Yorkers were hurrying along the streets, briskly walking with the collars of their coats pulled up and their hands in their pockets, desperately trying to get out of the wind that was now strong and loud.

Schuyler didn't even notice it, until the doorknob moved under her hand. She was startled, and jumped backwards, out of the way. The door swung open with a loud bang, and a figure exited the building. It took Schuyler a minute to recognize who it was.

"Jack! Jack! Wait!" she called. **Did he see her? **

Schuyler stood there, while Jack walked past her hurriedly, with his hands in his pockets. He walked down to the street, and motioned for a cab. It pulled up, and quickly, too quickly for a human, Jack flashed a fleeting glance towards Schuyler. Then, he got into the car fluidly, and it sped away.

The answer to her question was answered in the heartbreaking, cold, emerald pools of Jack's eyes.


	2. Confusions

**Chapter 2: Confusions **

Word Count: 2,866

Instead of being frozen in place with the reminiscence of Jack's bitter eyes, Schuyler ran as fast as she could up to the room in which she was forced to call her own. She didn't want her mind to be wandering…she knew that she had a very wild imagination, and didn't want to over-think the situation.

Schuyler knew that Jack wasn't home, so it was safe to go into the library. She crept softly, even though no one would hear her. Even if she walked normally, her graceful, light stride would echo through the spacious room.

The Force's library was full of books that intrigued Schuyler. There were all the genres, as well as Fantasy, which interestingly enough, was her second favorite type of book. She strode over to the hardbacks quickly; she wanted to get upstairs to her guestroom.

Schuyler's eyes skimmed the titles, and she stopped when she got to the letter D. _Dracula?!_ Schuyler thought. She slid the book out from its place among the others, and read the first page. Fascinated, Schuyler closed the book and headed upstairs to get ready for bed.

Trinity had gone full out when she was picking out clothes for Schuyler. Besides the basics, she had also bought formal clothing, sleepwear, and even underwear, which was the worst. Obviously, Trinity had based her preferences off of what Mimi was wearing, and frankly, some of the clothing was completely tactless, in Schuyler's opinion.

Schuyler peeled off her clothes, and got into some of her old sweatpants and cotton tank tops, and felt instantly refreshed. It was like shedding the day's events and worries. She didn't want to think about Oliver or Jack, or even Mimi, again that night.

Sitting in her large, king-sized bed, Schuyler reached over to her bedside table to get her iPod and headphones, and opened Dracula to the second page.

Soon enough, she was fast asleep.

Jack checked his watch. It was 4:24 in the morning. He rubbed his eyes tiredly; even though he was a vampire, he still needed his sleep.

He had just arrived home after a dreary night at Block 122. He had flirted shamelessly with a few Red Blood girls; something that was not typical for him. Mimi was there, but she had arrived and left a lot earlier than he had. After downing a few drinks and talking to those girls, he sat at one of the tables, staring into space, thinking about what he had saw at the house.

He knew that he should have no purpose in being displeased, but he had to admit to himself that he was. Oliver was kissing Schuyler. Schuyler kissed Oliver. Those words ran through his mind again and again. When he ran to that cab, he saw the look on Schuyler's face. Her eyes were filled with worry, regret, sadness, but mostly fear. For what? Jack? That part he didn't understand at all. Did she fear what was to become of the situation? Or what Jack now thought of her? It was all unclear to him as he walked slowly through the hallways of his extensive house.

Jack wandered up the marble staircase. The hallway at the end of the staircase was formed into a Y shape. The left side led to his and Mimi's room, and the other led to Schuyler's. He found that he lingered, and then took a small step. Without even thinking twice, he glided to the one room that held the most importance. With that last thought, the opened the door.

He found Schuyler sleeping with a book on her lap and headphones in her ears. He grinned, and turned her iPod off for her, and gently took the book away from her. He glanced at the cover and smirked. _Dracula?_

Jack placed the book on her bedside table, and was sure to mark which page she left off on. He also noticed her cell phone on the edge of her bed, just about ready to fall. Just as he was about to move it, the phone beeped quietly. Jack opened the cover to her phone, and saw a few text messages from…_Oliver._ A wave of hatred rolled through Jack, which was another feeling that he had never felt before. Sure, he got angry, but he had never truly hated someone. Out of spite and malice, he threw the phone back on the bed, where it landed with a thump quietly, but with enough force to make Schuyler stir.

He took a few steps back to sit on a large cushioned chair in the corner of the room. She slept so soundly, which was different from how his own sleeping patterns had been recently. Schuyler looked so petite in the large bed, not taking up hardly any space at all.

For a while, he watched the rise and fall of her stomach, thinking about the situation and the circumstances over and over. Jack suddenly heard a hitch in her breathing, and it sounded like Schuyler was crying. He heard her moving about, and whimpering. He got out of the chair, and took a single step towards her. That's when he froze in place.

"Jack?" he heard a small, groggy voice call out, breaking the long lasting silence that filled the room. He looked at Schuyler, who now had her light eyes wide open, and was staring at him intently.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him, sitting up more. Her tone of voice was not of anger, but plainly of curiosity. Jack looked at her lips for any trace of Oliver still on them.

"Nothing, just go back to sleep. Goodnight, Sky." Jack said, and left the room without another word.

Schuyler woke up two hours later then when she woke up seeing Jack in her room. The reason for his occurrence confused her. Wasn't he angry with her? She looked at the clock that was sitting on her nightstand, which was next to her bed. It was only 7:56 in the morning. So, Schuyler decided to take a shower and get on with her day.

She pulled off the comfy clothes that she changed into the night before. All of what happened seemed like a blur to her now. She turned on the shower, and let the humid spray loosen up her pores. Schuyler tried to extend her shower for another ten minutes; trying to put off seeing Jack at breakfast. She didn't want to try to endure another painfully quiet meal, especially with all this misunderstanding going on. She knew even though she had something important to say to Jack, she wasn't going to go through with it once she sat down across from him. She would be so close to starting a conversation, but eventually she would chicken out.

She stepped out of the humid shower and into the cool, refreshing bathroom, and tried to dry herself off with the towel. She looked at herself in the mirror.

She saw all of the normal features that everyone else saw. The blue-black hair, the bright blue eyes, the tiny ski slope nose. If she looked closer, she could see something else that was completely different than what she had ever seen before. It was something deep in the contours and shadows of her eyes that made her look quite unusual today.

She looked…happy. Schuyler looked happier than she ever had, since she moved in with the Forces. _Could that have been Oliver?_ she wondered doubtfully, but somehow, she knew it could be true.

Schuyler walked back into her spacious room, and opened the closet to find something decent to wear. She knew that it was going to be just as cold and windy as it was yesterday.

She finally decided on a chunky grey Atil Kutoglu sweater, which she paired with a bright yellow Gen Art skirt; an outfit that reminded her most of her old self. One who wouldn't be kissing her best friend. Plus, the yellow reminded her of her old room.

After brushing out her hair, she walked down the stairs gracefully, and headed to the kitchen. She was hit by a title wave of smells as she opened the door. There were omelets, toast, bagels, and pastries. She took a Danish off of the tray and grabbed a plate. As usual, Jack and Mimi were sitting side by side at the table. Without looking up, Schuyler sat down and started to eat her food. Like she thought the event was going to be, it was silent.

Out of the blue, Schuyler heard a voice come from the other side of the table.

"Jack, remember, today we have that photo shoot in that museum. Don't forget to pick me up; I'll be at Barney's until 2." Mimi's silky voice replaced the calm in the room. Schuyler tried to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Whenever she was in Mimi's presence, she tended to get annoyed easily.

"You mean the one at the American Museum of Natural History?" Jack looked up from his omelet to look at his nearly identical twin.

Again, Schuyler was being left out of a conversation between the two Force twins. That happed a lot usually, when the three were together. Schuyler began to pick apart her Danish with her fingers, making a mess.

The next thing she heard was the sound of chairs gliding against the wooden floor of the kitchen. She looked up to see Jack and Mimi both walk towards the exit of the room. Just like yesterday, Jack looked back towards Schuyler as he was leaving her, but this time, his eyes weren't so angry and disappointed. He looked like he was thinking about something very hard. Something about Jack's eyes were magnetic. She looked down, and knew that Jack had already looked away. She didn't want to see him turn back to his twin, like he always would.

When Schuyler finished her breakfast, she walked back up to her room. She fell back on her bed and picked up her cell phone that was nearly going to hit the floor. She flipped it open, and noticed that there were 12 text messages, 8 voicemails, and 4 alerts. She started to look at her text messages, when she stopped.

They were all from Oliver.

Schuyler sighed, and began to listen to the voicemails.

"Hey, Sky, it's me, Ollie. Well, obviously, because you probably read who it was from, in the Inbox. Well, I don't know, because it says that on my phone. So, anyway, I was calling to talk to you…about maybe today? Do you have anything to do today? Not that I don't think you do. It's just that I really am thinking about you." There was some mumbling on the other line, but his message still continued. "I mean, I was thinking about _doing_ something with you." There was a small, nervous laugh from him, then. "No, that's not what I meant, either. Look, just please call me back. Thanks, Sky."

Schuyler clicked on the next one.

"Hi, Schuyler. It's Oliver again. I know you probably haven't gotten my other message yet, but I'll text you just to make sure. Not now, anyway, but after. I needed to tell you something really important, and I think that we need to talk about it. You know, what happened between us? I will try you again later, but please, please call me back. Thanks, bye."

Schuyler scrolled down and clicked on the last voicemail.

"Haha, I was just kidding about my last message. Oh, oops, it's Oliver again. I seem to be saying that a lot! Anyway, I was just waiting up for you. I have been thinking all night. Oh, and…I was wondering? Are you thirsty?" There was more nervous laughter, and Schuyler grimaced. "Ha, just kidding. Well, not really. Sorry for the rambling, but really, Sky, we need to talk. Call me as soon as possible. Okay, bye, Sky. Love you."

Schuyler froze, again. It seems that she was doing that a lot lately. Did Oliver just say that he _loved _her? She groaned. Even though she liked to put things off to the last minute most of the time, Schuyler felt like she needed to get this over with.

Did she love Oliver? She had to ask herself that, and answer truthfully. The pondered that thought for a while, and finally came up with an answer. The answer was no. She sure loved him as a friend, but more than a friend? She couldn't say that was true, yet.

But, did she love Jack? The first thing in her mind was a big, _yes,_ but was that truly a correct statement? Would she give up her own life for him?

Schuyler decided that the best way to deal with Oliver was to call him. She flipped over onto her stomach, and speed dialed him. He picked up on the first ring.

"Sky! Thank god you called!" Oliver said, sounding a little too excited. Schuyler couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Yeah, but you didn't leave enough messages," she said, sarcastically. Oliver was quick to respond.

"Haha, funny. I really need to talk to you, so can we meet somewhere?" he asked her. He sounded like he really had something to say.

"Alright, where, then?" There was a pause on the other line.

"How about…Central Park?" he asked her. Schuyler thought for a moment.

"Um, sure. What time, do you think?"

"What time is it now? Um, it is 10? How about 10:30-ish?" Oliver sounded really impatient.

"Alright, I'll get a ride. See you then!" Schuyler tried to sound happy, and not at all nervous or anxious to get the upcoming meeting over.

"See you then, Sky." There was a click, and knowing Oliver hung up, Schuyler hung up too.

Schuyler made her way downstairs again; in hope of finding something to do to pass the thirty minutes that she would have, waiting to meet her friend. She walked into the library without thinking.

"Hey, Sky," Jack's voice came from a chair on the left side of the room, in the reading corner that had been set up with bean bag chairs, a few couches, and even a mini fridge and the works. Schuyler turned to the sound of Jack's voice. She followed the direction in which his voice came from, and found him on one of the plush couches. He patted the space next to him. Schuyler looked wary, but still decided to sit down next to him.

"What, Jack?" she asked. Schuyler's tone was the same as earlier that morning, not irritated, but genuinely curious. When she looked at his face, he was smirking, but his eyes still had the puzzled look to them that they had at breakfast.

"I saw you were reading Dracula." he said playfully. She remembered him in her room, and was about to question him, when she looked into his eyes, which were like a forest of never ending lush green, in which she got easily lost in. He chuckled, and she snapped out of it. She realized that she was staring.

"Um, y-yeah." Schuyler managed to stutter. She looked away from him, to try to regain her composure. But when she looked back, his eyes were the same, engulfing her in their bottomless dimensions.

Jack looked at her, and she just stared back at him. He wanted so badly to do what Oliver did, to kiss her. He already had, before, but he didn't want to mess everything up. He knew his place, but had trouble following through.

Schuyler had a strange urge to touch him. She looked at his perfect face, and his smooth skin. Everything about him was inviting to her. She leaned in further, so their faces were only inches apart, and inhaled his cologne.

Jack was taken aback. He didn't know that she was going to tilt towards him. Was she trying to drive him crazy? Schuyler closed her eyes, and reached out blindly.

When her hands found his face, she opened her eyes quickly, to see his reaction. He stared at her with his smoldering eyes, which weren't filled with anger. He tried to lean in further, but something caught his attention.

As quickly as it started, it ended. Mimi walked into the room, head held high, and heels clicking on the floor.

"Jack?" she looked around the room, and found Schuyler, alone on the couch, looking dazed. Mimi found him, on the other side of the room, pretending to be occupied.

"There you are. I am leaving, just so you know. Remember, Barney's, at 2. Okay?" Before he could even answer, she left, but the atmosphere wasn't the same as before.

Jack walked quickly over to Schuyler's side, but stayed standing, and a good foot away.

"Sky? I'm sorry." Jack said softly. Schuyler's eyes were downcast, and when she finally looked up, he was gone. She looked around the library for him, but it was empty. This time, when he left her, there was no backwards glance, and Schuyler couldn't see his last expression hidden in those eyes.

Finally, she was alone. In every sense of the word.


	3. The Dream

**Chapter 3: The Dream**

Word Count: 3,703

When Schuyler finally managed to get off of her seat in the library, she turned around to look back at where she was seated. She could still see the imprint of her and Jack that remained.

Was that how it always was going to be? They could never be together, but would have the memories imprinted in their mind eternally. Thinking about that upset Schuyler, and she started to walk down the long hallway, into the entrance way of the Force mansion.

Checking her watch, it verified that it was time to go and meet Oliver, and that, surprisingly enough, made Schuyler feel relieved. She was glad that she would have something to preoccupy her from daydreaming and thinking of Jack the whole rest of the day.

She opened the door of the mansion, and quickly strode out, ready to catch a cab. When she started to motion for one, someone grabbed her arm.

"Oliver?" she asked, but when she turned around, she couldn't help but frown. Standing in front of her, the sun bouncing off of his light hair was the angel who was Jack Force. Even though he had left her before, he wanted to make it up to her.

"What are you doing here, Jack? We were together long enough in the library." Schuyler forced, even though the words she was speaking were all lies. Schuyler shifted from left foot to right foot awkwardly.

"I was wondering, do you need a ride, somewhere? I could help you out." he said. Schuyler tried not to look at his eyes, and rather at the hem of her bright skirt or the clock on her cell phone.

"I don't need your help. But thank you for offering." Schuyler turned back towards the street, waiting for another cab to glide by. Jack walked in front of her view, and into the street.

"Where are you going? Let me at least get you the cab, then." Jack whistled for the closest one, and it came to a halt right in front of Schuyler. Before she got in the car, she turned back.

"Thanks, I appreciate it. Goodbye, Jack." The look on his face was contorted into a pained frown. He didn't want to watch her leave him, and when she sat in the car, she found her mouth was betraying her, frowning a similar frown to Jacks. Schuyler realized that she had said goodbye in many different ways than just one.

When the cab reached Central Park, she stepped out into the cold air that was New York City. She pulled her sweater around herself tightly, because she forgot a jacket at the house. The wind whipped her face, leaving it tender and red. Her eyes started to water, and the memories of yesterday started to fall back on her. Someone behind her reached out for her, and grabbed her arm.

Her memory of outside the cab came back to her. One minute she was thinking of Oliver, the next she was thinking of Jack. Isn't that how it always was? And now, standing out in the cold, why did she have to choose?

"Schuyler! You came!" Oliver's voice broke her train of thought. When Schuyler turned around to greet him, he bent down and took her in his arms for a hug. She hugged him back, but was slightly uncomfortable buried into his soft jacket. When they split, she smiled at him and smoothed down her now crumpled sweater. Her hair was flying in the breeze, and just like the day before, Oliver reached down to grab it and fix it for her.

This time, though, she titled away from him before the whole situation could repeat itself. He could tell that Schuyler was slightly embarrassed.

"Um, sorry," Oliver started. He motioned to a nearby bench. Schuyler was more nervous now than she had been before. Oliver could sense this, but it didn't stop him.

Once they were seated, Oliver ran his fingers through his chocolate colored hair. He wouldn't look at Schuyler, even when he started to talk.

"Schuyler, the reason I wanted to here was…because I thought we needed to talk." he started. Schuyler tried to gain some information from his posture and body language. He was leaning back, but he was looking at his hands which were placed on either side of his legs, gripping the bench seat below him.

Schuyler nodded, but she knew that he couldn't see her. She played with the material on the end of her knee length skirt, fidgeting, waiting impatiently for Oliver to continue.

"After what happened…between us, I mean, that night. I knew that you had to do it, but I was just nervous. I thought that maybe you wanted to use me, and that was all I was good for. Your snack." Schuyler knew that Oliver was referring to their perpetual bond that came from the Sacred Kiss. She made him hers, and she now she couldn't even remember whether or not she had thanked him.

"I know that I, for one, have changed, but I don't know exactly…where this leaves _us_." He accented the "us" part of his statement. Schuyler grimaced, and flinched. He looked up at the clouds rolling by, careless and free as ever. He sighed.

"I am unsure of how to go about this," Oliver looked Schuyler dead on. The look in his eyes was complex, and unreadable. It was as if he was trying to figure something out. Schuyler recognized that exact expression somewhere, but she couldn't figure it out. Oliver leaned in closer to her.

"But I know what _I_ want." he said quietly. He didn't even have to say anything else for Schuyler to understand him clearly. His breath smelled like mint, as he leaned in further. She felt a strange feeling wash over her. She reached up and smoothed back his hair. He closed his eyes, but didn't back away.

"Sky, please. Just don't." Oliver knew that he would never have what he wanted so badly. When she touched his hair, it made him want her even more. Schuyler always had a scent to her, and it was intoxicating and exhilarating. He wanted to reiterate what they had done the day before, after dinner. When he had kissed her, it made his world almost turn upside down. Cliché as it is, he knew it was true. When their lips met, everything became right.

Now, he was fighting against that. Oliver knew that if he kept doing this, he was digging his own grave.

Schuyler was looking at Oliver, and he opened his eyes. She saw the expression again, of wonder, and confusion. He looked so vulnerable, after he told her what he felt, and how he felt for her.

The wind blew a gust of wind over Oliver's head, rustling his hair; the same wind that gently blew Schuyler's hair back over her small shoulders. She could smell his scent, his blood. Without one last look, she leaned towards him, and yet again, their lips touched.

Oliver found himself feeling the same way he had before. She was captivating, and her aroma and movement was just as relaxing as it was exciting. He pulled her to him, and closed his eyes.

Schuyler closed her eyes too. She suddenly remembered where she saw the expression before. Jack.

Jack had the same expression when he was in the kitchen that morning. Jack. Just the thought of his name made Schuyler pull away from Oliver. Her face flushed with embarrassment, and Oliver looked at her differently. A thousand thoughts were running through both of their minds as they were struggling to catch their breath.

Schuyler couldn't even look at Oliver. She knew that she teased him, but she couldn't help herself. She wanted him, but perhaps she was confused, and too overwhelmed to think straight.

She wanted **Oliver?** No, she loved Jack.

After they separated, Oliver was left wanting more. Why did he let himself go this far? He found himself staring at Schuyler, as she looked away. Oliver would give anything to hear what she was thinking at the very moment.

Schuyler realized that she had to go. She checked her watch, and it was already 12:45. It had been more than two hours? Schuyler thought of the naïve phrase, "Time flies when you're having fun", and quickly dismissed it.

"Um, Ollie? I have to go." Schuyler looked over to her friend, and was surprised by the amount of desire that filled his hazel eyes. She looked away, not wanting him to have any effect on her.

"Okay," he cleared his throat. "I'll say goodbye then." They both stayed seated, but Oliver leaned in again, the same as before. Schuyler was the one who was hesitant, though.

Oliver didn't want her to leave. She always made him feel complete, as if he was her second half. He just wanted one more thing from her, so he tilted his head downward, towards Schuyler.

The wind had died down, and the world around them seemed to be silently moving in slow motion. When Schuyler saw Oliver angle toward her, it made her feel just as awkward and self-conscious as before. Quickly, she stood up, muttered a goodbye, and left hurriedly.

Wind whipping through her hair, Schuyler tried not to think of how she abandoned Oliver. She walked through the crowd without even glancing back, and felt another feeling wash over her. Schuyler felt as if she knew how much she was hurting Oliver, because she felt as if it had happened before.

When Schuyler got home, Charles Force was standing in the doorway waiting for her. He was standing tall with authority, even after he had been stripped of his title.

"Schuyler, nice to have you home," he said, keeping a humorless face. Schuyler frowned, trying to figure out what he was doing.

"Yes." was her response. She looked him over, but his expression was difficult to figure out. Was he angry?

"Schuyler, we will be attending a dinner at 5:30, and I will expect you to be downstairs and ready promptly. The dinner is formal, so I will also be expecting you to choose suitable attire. Is that understood?" he peered down to look at the small girl in front of him.

"Um, yes." Schuyler always tried to maintain a conversation with Charles, but he was almost too intimidating. Even though she had been living in his house for a few weeks, she still had trouble not fearing him when he was around her.

"Alright, proceed." Charles dismissed Schuyler, and walked into the kitchen.

Schuyler took a moment to catch her breath. She was panting as she got in the door, because she nearly ran home. She wasn't even thinking clearly enough to get a cab, but at least she remembered where to go. When she left Oliver alone, she become conscious of the fact that she did exactly what Jack did to her in the library.

When she saw Charles there, she immediately stopped breathing so quickly, and she found out that she hadn't even been breathing at all. She leaned against the staircase for a moment, trying to recall what had exactly happened in the park. She knew that Oliver loved her, she kissed him, and she ran away. When she thought of it like that, she knew what she had done was wrong, but she couldn't think of another way. Should she have just let him kiss her, and pretend there were no other worries in the world? What about Jack?

Jack's name echoed in her mind. She found that he had become quite a presence in her thoughts. It was almost ridiculous how much she thought of him. Last night she even dreamed about him.

It always started out with his face, smiling at her. She would be captivated by his eyes, and look deeply into them, until she became engulfed in the forest that once was the iris. She was running, and something had scared her. She was running from something, and she turned her head and saw Jack on her left and Oliver on her right. She saw the way out of the forest, through the white opening of trees. When she turned to look at Jack, he was gone. Up ahead, she heard a terrible noise, like an inhuman scream, which just kept shrieking and screeching. The light was shadowed by a creature almost as tall as the trees surrounding it.

She turned to the other side to reach out for Oliver, but he kept backing away, and repeating, "I can't help you, I can't. Sorry, Sky." He kept saying that until he was completely gone in the trees. Schuyler turned back, and in front of her, she saw Jack, lying on the ground, motionless. Surrounding him was splattered blue blood, and the last look Schuyler had of him was the frozen scream on his face, and those familiar emerald pools of abhorrence and hatred. He then disappeared into the darkness.

"Jack, Jack!" Schuyler had called. There was no answer, except for the continuing screams of others around her. She couldn't see their faces, only the flashes of wet blue blood shining in the moonlight.

She tried to reach out to them, and step towards the other people, but then their cries became louder. All at once, it was quiet. She stepped forward, towards the monster. She screamed the incantation at it, which made show its true being. The monster's outer layer withered away, and underneath was someone Schuyler recognized.

She could make out the facial features, but couldn't tell exactly who it was.

When she looked at the vague outline of the person, and they stepped into the moonlight.

Then, Schuyler was woken up. Jack interrupted her dream, and if he didn't, she would have found out who it was. Always, she woke up before it was over. When she first started having the dream, it always ended when she was still running. It had just recently gotten longer.

Schuyler pondered the dream while walking up the stairs slowly. She took the stairs one at a time, when she usually took two. When she reached her room, went straight to her closet, and try to make the best of the upcoming evening.

There were a few cashmere wrap sweaters from Anna Sui, but she decided on a dark, midnight blue satin blouse, and a pencil skirt both from Gucci. She felt extremely uncomfortable and awkward, but she knew it would only be a few hours. She left her hair down, but brushed it a few times and tried to blow dry it after getting it wet. She fixed the tiny amount of makeup that she had on, and tried to feel confident.

She walked downstairs to see Mimi chatting animatedly on her cell phone. Schuyler wondered who she was talking to. Jack was sitting on one of the chairs in the entrance way, and Charles and Trinity entered the room through the hallway that led to the sitting room.

Mimi, of course, was polished to perfection. Her hair was in a loose, low bun, and she had small unfastened waves around it. She was clad in a tight, backless Armani cocktail dress, and she completed the look with a Prada clutch and matching pumps. Schuyler looked down at her outfit with dismay. She tried to smooth out her skirt and look somewhat presentable, to the faultless family that was the Forces.

Charles looked Schuyler over, scanning her for any imperfections. When he couldn't find any, he gave her a nod of approval, and continued a conversation on his cell phone.

A limo pulled up to their driveway, and they filed in one by one. Jack ended up sitting directly between Mimi and Schuyler. The two of them were completely opposite. Mimi was laughing and was sprawled all over Jack. Charles looked over to them with a half smile.

Schuyler felt as if she could throw up. She tried to endure the car ride with as little excess thought as possible. Instead, she tried to listen to the chatter of the Forces on their cell phones. It was boring as anything, but it kept her mind occupied for the time being.

Once all the Force's arrived, ate, and left the restaurant, it was 12:00 in the morning. Schuyler was tired from all the festivities that went on that evening. When they entered, they were greeted by five other Committee families who also were famous for their wealth and prestige. Charles introduced them to Schuyler, who shyly shook each of their hands and then was finally allowed to sit down.

When they ordered their meal, each person ordered something different, but it all ended up being raw meat. Schuyler found herself not as embarrassed about ordering it when she was accompanied by other Blue Bloods.

Charles and Trinity talked to the families for hours after that, and they retreated to the back, private lounge of the restaurant. Schuyler had looked for Jack, and couldn't find him. She also looked for Mimi, but she was not surprised when she wasn't to be seen; she probably was having her fill of blood tonight.

Because she couldn't find Jack, Schuyler had no one to talk to. She sat in the back corner, picking at her chipping nail polish, smoothing her clothes, and once and a while playing games on her cell phone. She waited and waited for Jack, but he still hadn't shown up, even after Mimi returned with her radiant skin shining and full lips stained red.

When they left, they were still without Jack. Schuyler was pretty sure that Charles knew where Jack was, but she couldn't be 100 positive. When they entered the house, Charles and Trinity left without a sound, and Mimi strutted up the stairs with a backwards glance towards Schuyler. She just frowned, which was progress. At least there was no glare involved, this time.

Schuyler was alone in the hallway. It was dead silent. She could almost hear the still. She half expected to see Jack walk through the door, or come out from behind the couch. She waited for a few moments, until she headed upstairs to sleep.

The wind was picking up speed, and even Schuyler could hear it from inside the house. The sky was black, and there were no stars to be seen. Schuyler couldn't even see a moon out in the openness of the abyss.

She shut her curtains and walked back towards the closet. The most comfortable pajamas that Trinity bought for her were actually flannel, even if they had the designers insignia stitched all over the shirt and pants. She put them on quickly, and rushed into bed, not even pausing to read anything from Dracula.

Schuyler slipped into the dream state rather quickly. The nightmare started how it usually did, with Jack's face in her mind. His eyes were the same, inviting her in, and she tunneled into a green, leafy forest that once was his eyes.

It was dark in the forest, darker than it had been when she had first dreamt it to be. The trees got longer, and taller. Schuyler felt like she was shrinking, and scared.

She started to run, because she found herself believing something was behind her. It was chasing after her, and she couldn't seem to get away from it. When she looked around her, she saw Jack on her left, and Oliver on her right, as usual. When she finally saw the yellowish white light at the opening and ending of the forest, she found the beast that cornered her. It was so large; it blocked the entire opening from her. She heard screams and cries for help, but she couldn't see anything.

Schuyler turned to find Jack, to help him, but he was no where to be found. She could feel her heart thud in her chest, and felt trapped. She knew that Oliver was on her other side, but she was even afraid to look, to have him leave her.

"I can't help you, I can't help you," he called to her, as he stepped backwards to blend into the darkened trees surrounding them. She tried to reach out, but her hand was lost in the darkness, where Oliver had once been.

Schuyler tried to find another way out. The shrieks continued. She took a step, but looked down just in time. Schuyler almost choked on her own scream. Jack was lying there, in front of her. He was drenched in his own blood, but he didn't make a sound. He lay mangled, his throat nearly ripped out. But that is not what made Schuyler freeze with fear. He lay in front of her with his eyes wide open; a scream stuck on his face, and his eyes with the same look of revulsion. Slowly, the ground started to consume his jumbled body, into the blackness that also took Oliver.

She yelled for him over and over, and when she finally reached down for him, he had completely vanished into the dirt. Screams rang in Schuyler's ears, matching the ones from before. There were more, calling for her to help them. When she tried to find them in the darkness, they just got louder and more tortured. Their suffering clouded her vision, making her dizzy. She stood as still as she could, and waited for the voices to stop.

Suddenly, they did. It was completely silent. The silence was so thick that she almost felt claustrophobic. She saw the creature standing in front of the only light, the moonlight. With the only strength she had left, she yelled the spell, and the beast shuddered.

It shrunk down, and its outside shriveled into nothing, and disappeared. Just like in the dream before, the being stepped into the moonlight.

Schuyler woke with a fright. She was sweating, and sticky. She felt a wave of nausea hit her like bricks. She swallowed carefully, tried not to cry out.

When the beast walked out from in the depths of the shadows, it was the last person Schuyler thought it was going to be.

Herself.


	4. The Realization

**Chapter 4: The Realization**

Word Count: 3,806

After waking from the nightmare, Schuyler was unable to fall back asleep. Her mind was racing with fear and thoughts of what her dream could mean. Schuyler sat on the wooden bench directly beneath the huge window located to the left of her bed. Staring down at people below, she thought of what the dream could mean.

_She_ was the monster? The beast, the one who hurt Jack and Oliver? Schuyler brushed a hand through her hair. She was the one who was running from what? Herself? She shook her head to try and clear the thoughts that were going through her mind. None of it made sense to her.

As she looked out into the moonless, dark, night, she could remember clearly as the dream played out in her head. The dark forest swallowing her friends, hearing the agony in the screams, and seeing the beast change form to resemble her. What could it all mean?

Schuyler's thoughts were disrupted when she heard the familiar beep of her cell phone's inbox. She stood up from where she was sitting comfortably, and walked over to sit on her desk chair, and rolled over to her bed where her phone was lying.

When Schuyler saw who it was, she frowned, and decided to listen to the message after a moment. She scrolled through the different options and clicked on the one that lead her to her voicemail. As soon as she heard his lively voice, Schuyler tried not to sigh.

"Hey, Sky. It's me, Oliver. Um, I was just calling to see… if you just wanted to hang out? Like we used to, you know? Maybe we could hang out at my place, maybe rent some Sci-fi, or whatever." He paused. Schuyler was almost considering calling him back. She didn't want to call him soon unless he pretended what happened that afternoon never actually happened.

"About today, earlier, I mean. It was…interesting, I guess. Thanks for at least coming out to talk with me." Oliver paused again.

"Uh, so yeah. Call me, Sky." Oliver sounded like he was going to say something else, but he didn't. Schuyler clicked her phone shut and lounged on her comfortable bed and shut her eyes. She could almost feel the headache coming on. She could see the sun start to rise over the horizon, and it looked magnificent over the city's skyscrapers.

Schuyler suddenly jumped up; she heard a soft knock on her door. Before opening it, she smoothed her flannel pajamas and patted her hair down to try and get her hair to fall down her back, not stick straight up.

Padding across the floor, Schuyler opened the door cautiously. Standing in front of her, blond hair slightly messy, and still in now crumpled pants and a button down shirt, stood Jack. Schuyler could tell from his face that he wasn't exactly spending his time asleep. He didn't look woken up, but he looked like he needed the rest. She stood to the side and let him enter her open room. Jack walked over to the chair that Schuyler was in and sat down.

"Jack?" Schuyler questioned his presence in her room. She so badly wanted to ask him where he was during dinner, but kept her mouth shut. She didn't want to bring it up just yet. She took a seat across from him on the edge of her bed, and looked at him with uncertainty. He looked a little strange in her room like that.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked. He rolled slightly forward to see her eyes more clearly. Schuyler looked away from him, down from his troubled eyes.

"What do you mean? I'm fine." Schuyler always seemed to tell the truth when she was around Jack, and she found herself trying to beat around the bush.

"I heard you, in here. You were screaming. When I heard you, I tried to come as fast as I could. Are you alright? What happened?" Schuyler sighed with relief. She thought he was still talking about what happened between them in the library. At least she didn't have to talk about that now. Schuyler offered a smile over to Jack. She was glad that she knew he cared about her.

"It was nothing." When she looked at his worried face, she tried to continue, to explain herself.

"I had a nightmare, that's all." Schuyler looked down again, not wanting to meet his expectant eyes. It wasn't just a dream. It was the very nightmare that made her mind wander relentlessly over and over again. She shuddered at the thought of it. Jack's eyes wandered to her face.

"It was so terrifying, Jack. There was so much screaming. I was always running from something. I could hear the people crying out for me, but I couldn't help them. There was blood everywhere, and I couldn't stop it; something was there, torturing them, and I was witnessing it." Schuyler was looking down at her hands and found that she was shaking. Jack got up from his chair and tried to comfort Schuyler. He sat down next to her and put his arm around her. He could feel her heart beating rapidly against his chest.

"I was the monster." Schuyler said softly, looking up at Jack. She tried to catch his immediate reaction. He just sighed, and exhaled.

"Sky, you're not the monster." Jack told her. He pulled her in tightly, and then slowly leaned back. He brushed the hair that was stuck to her warm face back and lightly touched her cheek with the back of his hand, just like Oliver did before. This time, Schuyler wasn't frozen with shock; it actually felt right. He leaned down and kissed her light forehead.

"It'll be alright. Don't worry." he told her gently. Schuyler looked in to those seductive eyes, not once blinking or darting her eyes down to her shaking hands.

Because this time, they weren't shaking of fear.

All was silent in the Force's house, especially in Schuyler's room, despite the wind that was whipping at the window. Strangely, sitting there next to Jack, Schuyler felt an unusual wave of warmth. For once this whole night, Schuyler finally felt safe, and she didn't want to give it up.

His soft, velvet eyes beckoned her to look into them. She did just that. The same emotion that washed its way through her veins in the library was here again. Without leaving his eyes, Schuyler reached to touch his cheek the way he had to her. She ran the tips of her fingers down, along the edge of his jaw line and over his chin. She could feel the small, rough stubble that covered those areas of his asymmetrical face.

Schuyler saw a flicker of light within the eyes before her. His lip twitched into a small smile. He reached for her hand and took it in his own. They sat, staring into each others eyes until he broke their gaze. He looked at her lips, her neck, and his eyes gradually made their way down to her body, soaking up every inch of her into his memory. Schuyler blushed.

When Jack finally looked back up towards the girl sitting in front of him, he smiled.

"I never had a moment to do this before." he told her, before tilting his head forward toward hers. Schuyler closed her eyes and could feel the heat radiating off of Jack as the gap between them was quickly filled. His face was so close to hers, when he hesitated. Schuyler heart began to beat erratically, when she finally closed the mere inch that separated their lips.

When he had kissed her before, it had felt nothing like this. It had been safe and predictable. She was enticed by the intensity that was being distributed from Jack.

Schuyler brought her hands slowly up to his face, breaking them apart. Schuyler sat still, but took her hands from his face and slowly placed them on her bedspread. They both looked away for a moment, catching their breath. Jack leaned over to kiss her cheek before she could stop him. Schuyler exhaled.

"Jack," Schuyler started. She titled her head up to meet his clear green eyes. In one swift motion, he smoothed her hair down and rubbed her back tenderly. Schuyler paused. When she looked down, she felt the immediate need to look back into his alluring eyes. She felt like when she was with him, she was whole. She almost smiled to herself. Jack was like her illegal substance, her drug. Something she needed, but wasn't allowed to have.

He pulled her small frame closer to himself. She willingly followed, resting her head against his chest and closed her eyes. She felt herself slipping in and out of the dream state. Jack could sense that, and helped her back into her bed, and started to leave. This, Schuyler was fully aware of. Her eyes snapped open.

"Jack, please don't leave me here." she whispered, her voice trailing off. Jack paused at the door, and hesitantly changed his direction. He stood before Schuyler, who was slightly warm, looking timid and frail in the large bed. He reached down, and as a compassionate gesture, he brushed her straight hair away from her face and neck, so it lay smoothly on the pillow. He walked around the bed, and she could feel the bed move slightly as Jack decided to join her. Schuyler smiled blissfully as she turned to crawl forward towards him.

"Goodnight, Schuyler." Jack whispered into her ear while she fell asleep happily, in the arms of an angel.

When Schuyler awoke, she was in a lovely mood. Suddenly, the night's festivities bombarded her, and left her smiling. She turned around to find her empty bed. There was the imprint of Jack on the bed, where he had stayed. In his place, though, was a single white rose. There was a note attached to it; one so small that Schuyler almost missed it.

Reaching across the bed, she snatched the rose from its spot on the comforter. She opened it slowly, feeling the sensation of anxiety and wonder flood through her.

"For Schuyler, who doesn't like love stories." it read. Schuyler stopped. Deep down, she had always known that Jack had sent the intricate design of flowers to her, but had always dismissed the thought before she could be disappointed.

She read the note over and over again, waiting for it to really hit her. White roses held a meaning. White is for love. Did that mean Jack loved her?

Schuyler walked over to the bathroom, where she discarded her clothes in a pile on the ground, and turned on the shower to hot. She was still pondering the idea when she entered the warm spray, and when she exited it and was drying herself off. When she got to her closet, she made sure she felt confident in what she was wearing.

After a few moments, she decided on some black Sevens skinny jeans, with an oversized BCBG grey wool shirt with a light blue tank top underneath. She decided to slip on her old Converse instead of choosing a shoe from the ones belonging to the Trinity selection.

She had woken late enough in the afternoon to have lunch. She made her way down the winding staircase, and smelled the freshly prepared sandwiches and sides that were awaiting her. When she sat down, she was startled to see Jack sitting across from her at the large table. He smiled at her.

"Good morning, Sky." Jack looked at Schuyler with the same flicker in his eyes that she had seen before. It was like he was thinking something about her, but he found humor in it.

"Good morning to you, too, Jack." she said back to him. Schuyler suddenly felt self-conscious, and blushed. She badly wanted to ask him about the white rose he left behind, but was too afraid to.

They sat in silence, both waiting for the other person to talk first. Disrupting the calm, Schuyler heard the familiar melody coming from her front pocket in the jeans. Her cell phone was ringing. She looked over apologetically at Jack, even though it wasn't really interrupting anything.

"Sorry, hold on one second, please." Schuyler said while flipping open her phone.

"Hello?" she answered, hoping it was not the person whom she wanted to talk to the least. Her wish quickly diminished when she heard the voice on the other end.

"Hey, Sky! It's Oliver. Did you get my message before? I called you a while back." Schuyler rolled her eyes.

"No, sorry, Ollie, I didn't." She noticed Jack look up from his soup at the sound of Oliver's pet name. Schuyler felt bad for lying to her friend, but she didn't want to hurt him.

"Oh, okay. At least I got a hold of you now. I was kind of wondering if you wanted to go to The Bank later tonight. Maybe around 9?" Schuyler peered at Jack out of the corner of her eye. She didn't want to make plans just yet, if Jack wanted to hang out or something like that.

"I don't think I can, but I'll try to call you later, okay?" Schuyler hung up before she could hear Oliver's disappointed voice answer her. She tried to focus on something else; rather someone else, Jack.

"Oliver?" Jack questioned. Schuyler didn't really want to answer him either. She could sense a jealous tone in his voice, and she couldn't really figure out whether not she was flattered, or just plain annoyed. This was confusing as it was, and she didn't need Jack making it any worse than it existed to be already.

"It was nothing. He just wanted to see what was up." Schuyler said, not saying anything else on the subject. For once, Jack left it like that instead of questioning her further.

Even though Jack didn't ask about it with words, he still questioned her with his eyes.

It wasn't until Jack stood when Schuyler looked up from the sandwich she had picked apart so much that its debris were spread, covering the entire plate.

"Jack! There you are; I've been looking for you **everywhere!" **Mimi called, voice echoing throughout the kitchen. Jack walked over to greet her.

"I've just been here, Mimi." he insisted. Schuyler tried to concentrate on her food, but she couldn't help glancing at them from time to time.

"Tonight we are going to Block 122, alright, my dear?" Mimi said, draping her hands around her brother's waist. She phrased it as a statement, not as a question.

Mimi always liked to take things up a notch whenever she was near Schuyler. She always had to make sure that she made it clear that Jack is and would forever be hers.

When Schuyler heard Mimi say that, she immediately looked down at her plate, knowing fully well that it was not an open invitation.

Jack looked over to Schuyler, who was shading herself from the conversation by the wall of her black hair again. He badly wanted her to accompany them, but he knew that Mimi would strongly disapprove of that. Jack sometimes didn't understand the hatred that Mimi had for Schuyler; what did she ever do to her? Jack would just have to talk to Schuyler in private as usual.

"Sure, of course." Mimi leaned in to give her brother her usual kiss on the cheek, but he didn't return it as he typically did. She tilted her head back to glare at Schuyler; she probably had something to do with that.

To get her kiss, Mimi started to whine, which called Schuyler's attention to the twins. Then, she pointed to her smooth cheek with a single French-manicured finger and twisted her head towards him for more show.

With fear of what her eyes would tell him, Jack didn't look at Schuyler while he leaned in and pecked his twin on the cheek. With a flip of her hair, Mimi strutted to the door of the kitchen, having gotten what she wanted, yet again.

"Don't forget, Block 122, Jack." Mimi said as she was leaving. Stopping at the doorframe, she turned back once more. She stared at Schuyler with anger clouding her ice-coated green eyes.

"Jack, **don't** bring anyone with you." Mimi left with a final eye smoldering glare aimed directly at Schuyler.

If the flames in Mimi's eyes had been real, Schuyler would have truly been on fire.

When Schuyler heard the last comment of Mimi's, she stood up from the table quickly, and almost knocked over her plate. She walked as rapidly as she could to the library, her sanctuary.

Jack arrived there before she did. He was standing just outside the doorway, waiting for her.

"Jack?!" Schuyler asked, surprised he was there. He took her hand, walking her over to the couches.

"You know, you can come with us, right?" he asked her. Schuyler shook her head back and forth.

"What? No, that would be the last thing I want to do." she said harshly. She didn't even want to picture Mimi mad at her for another thing, including showing up to her club when she wasn't wanted there.

"Don't worry about Mimi." Jack said, sensing that she was the problem in this situation. She almost always was.

"Why aren't you? Don't you care that if I came she would probably kill me?" Schuyler said. When she listened to the words come out of her mouth, she wanted to take them back right away. Mimi **had** tried to kill her.

"I don't care what Mimi thinks, to be honest. Please join us?" Schuyler looked into Jack's eyes. She wanted to be with him, all the time. Maybe she could make one sacrifice…

"Alright," Schuyler started. She remembered something; her guilt from lunch.

"Is it alright if I bring someone?" she asked, almost expecting the answer to that.

"Sure, of course! As long as you come, though." Jack was almost begging Schuyler to go with them, which was undeniably not how he typically was. He didn't even pause to think who that person would be; he was just glad she agreed to his offer.

"I'll try." Schuyler said, standing up. She was going to have to call Oliver right away.

The next few hours, Schuyler had accomplished a few things. She called Oliver, and told him about her change of plans. When he had decided to join her after grumbling about which club it was, she found that she was actually somewhat excited.

Since Schuyler had already showered that morning, she didn't want to go through with that for a second time. She decided to style her hair up in a high ponytail. She traded her large shirt and ratty Converse for a form fitting silver chiffon tank top that moved when she walked, and red flats. She didn't know exactly how to dress for the infamous Block 122, but she thought that it was good enough.

Schuyler had a lot of spare time which she occupied reading her recently acquired Dracula. The next time she checked her watch, she realized that it was time for her to start to leave.

Schuyler walked downstairs to find Jack and Mimi. She looked in their rooms, in the library, and through the other, never-ending rooms that were all included in the mansion. She began growing impatient. Maybe they had already left.

Hoping that the idea was not the case, Schuyler went outside to haul a cab. When she got comfortably in it, they sped off in the direction of a new experience.

When Schuyler pulled up to the curb next to the two clubs, Block 122 and The Bank, she handed the driver a few bills and stepped out of the cab, head held high. She checked her watch again, and she was a few minutes early. There was a bench outside of Block 122, and Schuyler decided to take a seat.

Minutes passed, and she checked her watch again. All of Jack, Mimi, and Oliver were no shows. She stood up, irritated, when she was pulled into an embrace. Thinking it was Oliver, she quickly pushed away.

"Sky!" Jack whispered her nickname in her ear, holding her close to him. Still in his arms, she turned around to face him.

"Where is Mimi?" she asked first, worried that she would see them together. Jack frowned.

"She isn't here yet? Oh. I thought she arrived with you." Schuyler rolled her eyes. She would rather stand in front of The Committee and yell, "I'm the Silver Blood!" than ride in the same car as Mimi Force.

After hearing that Mimi actually **wasn't** there, Schuyler relaxed in Jack's arms. She twined her arms around his neck, watching the animation held within his eyes and the smile that danced on his lips.

She felt giddy when he leaned down to duplicate the shared kiss they had in her bedroom. He let his hands glide from her neck to her shoulders, and down to her hips, holding her tighter with every movement.

Schuyler sighed happily, and placed her head on his chest, inhaling shallowly. When she looked back up at him, his eyes were stuck somewhere else.

The look on his face made all but her heart freeze. She didn't want to see who was behind her, but her body betrayed her wishes. She wanted it so badly not to be Mimi.

When she saw who it was, she wished it was Mimi.

Standing ten feet away, with a look of shock on his face, and a strangled look in his eyes, stood Oliver.

Schuyler quickly pushed away from Jack, but it was too late. She stepped closer to her friend, but she could hear a small hitch in his breathing. Schuyler had never seen Oliver cry before, and she felt a rip in her chest when she saw him turn away from her. Away from them.

Her eyes started to fill up as she watched him walk away; as he turned his back on her; as she lost a great deal of her heart leave her standing there, alone.

Schuyler continually wiped away tears that had begun to form at the ends of her eyes. She began to question her choices when a realization made her aware of a single horrifying fact.

She had been running from making this decision for a long time about who to choose in her life, Jack or Oliver. They were both on her side, until she had hurt them. Jack saw her kissing Oliver, and now the tables were turned. Oliver watched from afar as she and Jack kissed. She had been abandoned.

Schuyler realized, with a shudder, that she truly was the monster.


	5. A Date and a Witness

**Chapter 5: A Date and A Witness**

Word Count: 3,666

After arriving home, Schuyler had fallen asleep early. When Oliver left her, she felt like vomiting. Jack offered to take her home, and she accepted his offer without another thought.

The ride home was awkward and quiet. Both Jack and Schuyler's minds were temporarily fazed, and each was thinking about the night's escapade. While jealousy and anger filled Jack's mind, fear and guilt filled Schuyler's.

When they arrived home, Jack tried to reach out to Schuyler, but without thinking, pulled away from him. Jack watched her wander up to her room, and even though Schuyler was hurting, Jack felt an odd sense of happiness. She had chosen him over Oliver, and for the time being, it made him content.

When Schuyler reached her room, she undressed and dressed quickly. It was like she was living a dream. Her nightmare had not only made sense, but it had come true.

She ran a brush through her already smooth hair, and got into bed slowly, pulling up the covers over her stomach. She saw her cell phone on the table next to her bed, and picked it up warily.

Schuyler wanted to call Oliver, because she wanted to try and apologize, something to set things right. When she clicked her way through the options and paused when she was at Oliver's name. Schuyler didn't want Oliver to think that she wasn't upset or distressed about it, like she didn't care. She obviously did. When she saw him leave earlier that night, all she wanted to do was run after him and try to explain.

Slowly, Schuyler clicked on the option that led her to Oliver's cell phone. Even though she didn't expect her friend to pick up, she still wanted to leave him a message. Just as she thought, he refused to answer his phone. When it finally got to the 'beep' at the message machine, Schuyler was at a loss for words.

"Um, it's me. I need to talk to you, uh, later, I guess. Okay." she managed. She rested her head down on her fluffy pillow and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to relax her muscles; she found that she had been frowning, and her forehead was stiff.

When her clock hit 1:00, Schuyler was fast asleep, her phone still pressed to her ear.

It was one of those faux fall days where there was a warm breeze that mixed with the cool, crisp air. The temperature surpassed the average, and it felt light and airy. Inside the Force home, everything was quiet and calm. Schuyler turned over in her bed and groaned, not wanting to get up.

She sat up slowly, and patted her hair down. She turned to the left, and looked out her window, into the open sky. The tranquility of the outdoors made her forget about the problems she had recently acquired.

Looking around her room, Schuyler saw that the clothes that she had deposited on the floor before, were now gone. Her cell phone had been placed carefully on her desk, and her bathroom light was off, even though she could remember leaving it on.

Jack. Jack had been in her room. Even though he had been in her room before, this time she felt uncomfortable. She didn't know what to make of it. Schuyler had read books where the hero comes into the female lead's room, to watch over her. In those books, it was romantic. But, in this case, it was very awkward.

Schuyler sighed as she slid out of her bed. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she stood in front of her antique desk. Her cell phone didn't seem to have any messages from Oliver, and the small amount of hope that Schuyler had was shattered instantly.

Like her usual morning routine that she had acquired at the Force abode, she jumped into the shower, and pondered what she had experienced. Even though the hot water was just about blistering her skin, she didn't notice.

With a towel wrapped around her body, Schuyler exited the bathroom and slid across the wooden floor of her bedroom towards her closet.

While throwing on a simple pair of dark wash jeans and layering a black Marni camisole under a ruby-colored, feathery, off-the-shoulder t-shirt, Schuyler grabbed a light grey cardigan. She went back over to her desk to get her cell phone, just in case Oliver called. She was never this preoccupied with thoughts of Oliver before, and it scared her.

Schuyler checked her messages once more before pulling her hair up into a low, messy bun, even though it was still wet. Putting her tiny phone in her pocket, Schuyler headed out her door and down the winding staircase.

She entered the kitchen, and quickly went over to the pantry to get a light bite to eat. In her mind, she had wanted to go somewhere, to just get out of the house. Schuyler usually felt like the house was too open, and too airy, but now it felt small and cramped. Claustrophobic.

She thought she was alone until she felt a light breeze at her side.

"Good morning," a voice whispered softly. She turned around to see where the voice was coming from. Even though there was a distance between her and Jack, she still could hear the thirst in his voice.

"Or, should I say, good afternoon. You got up late enough." he said, both mocking and with humor. Even though Jack wanted to step forward towards Schuyler, his feet stayed firmly planted on the ground. Things were already uncomfortable, and the last thing he wanted her to do was cringe away from him, like she did the night before.

"I was awake for a while." Schuyler said back, forcing a smile. Shifting awkwardly, she tried to put her hand in her pocket, but her fingers froze around the phone that had been shoved in earlier.

"Have a good sleep?" he asked, a smile lining his voice. Schuyler looked over his shoulder, and blushed. She was peeved that he was even in her room, but now he had basically admitted the fact to her face.  
"Not really." Schuyler snapped. She turned away from him, towards the hallway that separated the kitchen from the parlor; she was only steps away from leaving the house.

With the sudden urge to touch her, Jack stepped forward, in front of Schuyler, and put his hand on her shoulder; he was blocking her escape. When he looked at her face, Jack noticed that Schuyler was refraining from looking at him, and her mouth was twisted into a helpless frown.

"Sky, wait." he said. When Schuyler heard her nickname, she grimaced. Jack's mouth twitched downward, and he was desperate to see her eyes; her reaction displeased him.

"I am late for something. What do you want, Jack?" Schuyler said forcefully. She stood in front of him, her hands on her petite hips. Trying harder to please her, Jack tried to smile.

"You have plans? I was looking for you earlier, because I was wondering if you wanted to accompany me to lunch." Immediately, Schuyler thought of Oliver. She inhaled, but didn't let out her breath. Jack quickly picked up on that, and tried to continue, and explain what he really meant.

"Not really lunch. More like a snack." When Jack looked at Schuyler's now clenched jaw, he realized that what he had replaced 'lunch' with was worse.

"Or, we could just go out somewhere, maybe to Central Park, or something." Schuyler looked down at the ground, her head swimming with the newly emerging thoughts. Everything Jack said to her was a reminder of Oliver.

"No, I can't. Um, sorry." she mumbled, eyes still glued to the ground. Schuyler pushed away from Jack, and stumbled away from him.

"Schuyler, stop." Jack called to her. Even though she was usually defiant, for Jack, she was more lenient. Schuyler turned around to face him, yet again.

"What about, just taking a walk?" he asked, trying to keep the want out of his voice. Schuyler back tracked.

"Um, okay, I guess." she said. Even though she told him that she was late for something, Schuyler hoped that he had forgotten about it.

"Okay, it's a date then." Jack confirmed. Without Jack looking, Schuyler rolled her eyes. Maybe to him it was, but to her it was just something to do to get out of the mansion.

When Schuyler exited the house, she was glad that she had left. The warm air made her feel radiant, and light as a feather. The sun shone down on her dark sweater, and she took it off to tie around her hips. It was very warm, but there was a crisp breeze.

"So, where to?" Jack said, taking Schuyler's hand as they crossed the street. Schuyler slightly shivered away, but she kept her hand where it was. His grasp was firm but gentle, and the shudder of emotions that rushed from the tips of her fingers to her toes was not gentle at all. It was ominous, and it actually terrified her, for reasons that she was not aware of.

"Um, what?" Schuyler asked, temporarily overwhelmed with the electrifying moment. Jack chuckled.

"Where would you like to go?" he asked again. Schuyler didn't know what to say; she still was being affected by the feeling. She started to stutter, but he cut her off.

"I have a place to go." He shook his hair from out of his eyes. Schuyler blushed; he looked so handsome like that. Even on the warm day, Jack looked perfectly put together. He was wearing one of his many polos, and he was clad in pressed khakis. It was almost as if he planned it all.

"Oh?" Schuyler managed to choke out. She was slightly worried to be alone with Jack. She quickly dismissed the idea from her mind, because Schuyler came to the conclusion that nothing would go wrong. She had learned that she was safe with Jack.

Jack squeezed her hand, and smiled at her. He was practically shining. Schuyler had never seen him so excited before. His enthusiasm eventually made its way over to her, and she became slightly anxious about what was going to come.

Jack pulled Schuyler from road to road. They didn't converse much, but the silence seemed to be filled by the other noises going on around them. Each were thinking their separate thoughts, and the walk turned out to be peaceful, for the most part. After everything that had recently happened, for once Schuyler felt relaxed. She was comfortable, and the warm air smelled sweet. None of that compared to the fact that she was with a person that she truly liked. Schuyler concluded that the feeling that she had felt before was purely a realization.

She was falling in love with Jack.

She smiled at the thought. Schuyler looked up at Jack, who was looking ahead. She became conscious of the fact that she had been looking at him differently. His face, his eyes, and the very essence of him, all had changed. All of his features were calling her to him.

Because of this, she wanted to be even closer to him than she was. Schuyler leaned into his arm, and he gazed down at her. They both stepped into the sunlight, but his eyes never left hers. He smiled, and his perfect white teeth glittered in the light. She noticed that same flicker in his eyes that she had seen times before.

His eyes were brimmed with a certain hunger, and Schuyler just wanted to get closer to him. Jack leaned down to kiss her softly on the forehead, which made Schuyler bubble over with confidence and happiness. She closed her eyes and continued to rest her head against his arm while he led her down the street.

Suddenly, Schuyler felt Jack stop walking. Before she even opened her eyes, she could smell the water in the air. When she finally opened them, what she saw in front of her was beautiful.

The sky was a light blue, and it contrasted the darker aquamarine hue of the water, and its waves lapping at the shore. It was a cloudless blue, and the water was infinite. On the right there were a few benches, but covering the breathtaking land was sand the color of wheat.

Schuyler closed her mouth that had opened out of shock. She turned to face Jack.

"Is this it?" she asked him earnestly. Jack laughed.

"Yes. Do you like it?" he said. When she looked up at Jack, she couldn't take her eyes off of him. His eyes were even brighter now then when they were in the light. He looked away from her for a moment, and led her by the hand to the sand directly in front of them. He helped her sit down on the warm ground, and she watched him as he sat down himself. She watched him curiously, as she realized how much he looked like an angel in the light. As the sun radiated down on the two of them, Schuyler began to get uncomfortable. She had already taken off her sweater, but she still had a long sleeve shirt on. Being that close to Jack made her even warmer. She contemplated taking her shirt off, because she would still have her tank top on.

Finally, she decided to take it off. She blushed when she slowly grabbed the hem of her shirt. Jack was seated, and he looked over at her quizzically. She cast her eyes down to the sand, trying not to blush again. She clutched the bottom of her shirt tighter, and, before she could over think it, she pulled it over her head, and placed it next to her.

Schuyler looked over at Jack to see his expression. His eyes were wide with surprise, and he found it slightly funny. He inched over to sit closer to Schuyler, and looked at her small frame. His eyes questioned her, but he didn't say a word.

Schuyler put her hand over Jacks, and brushed it up to his arm. She leaned her head against his chest, and he wrapped his arm around her. Schuyler sighed. She had almost decided not to go with Jack on this little escapade, but she went along anyway. Now, all of that walking was worth it.

When Schuyler smiled, Jack could feel it. He leaned down and kissed the back of her head, and they lay there together, listening to the sound of the wave's crash on the shore.

As time passed, Jack and Schuyler slowly shifted; Schuyler ended up on Jack's lap, head against his shoulder, staring out in the water. She could feel him leaning against her, and she was so relaxed that she could almost fall asleep.

She shifted slightly more to see Jack close to her face. Schuyler found it amazing that she was so attracted to him, and she felt as comfortable as she did. With him so close to her, she felt an odd sense of comfort and confidence. Closing her eyes, Schuyler closed the inch between their lips. She leaned away, but Jack leaned further down to her neck.

Schuyler froze, waiting to see what he would do next. Jack led a path of kisses down from her ear, across her collarbone, and stopped at her shoulder. She sighed and relaxed the muscles that were tensed.

Jack made his way back up to the middle of her neck and inhaled. He paused before he kissed her again, and Schuyler held his hand the whole time, just as he had to her.

When Jack sat up straight, he moved, and grabbed her waist gently. Schuyler giggled; she was slightly ticklish there. He smiled, and grabbed her side again. She laughed out loud, and she squirmed away from him.

"Jack, stop it!" she managed to squeak in between breaths. She fell on her back, and he stopped what he was doing. She lay in the sand, trying to catch her breath. Jack kneeled over her, while shading the sun from her eyes. She smiled, and a small giddy giggle escaped from her lips. She had never felt this way before, ever. She had never been this happy.

He leaned down to kiss her, stopping the laughter altogether. He smiled, breaking the connection, and then lay next to her. Schuyler curled up next to him, and they lay together to watch the pink and reds of the sunset.

Soon, the daytime became twilight, and Schuyler and Jack started to head back. There weren't many words exchanged between them, but Schuyler felt that something had changed. Mostly for better, but might turn out to be for worse. Jack ended up getting a cab, and Schuyler sat next to Jack, wanting to maintain some kind of contact with him. When she wasn't, she felt incomplete.

Jack opened the door to the house, and Schuyler led him inside. Her confidence began to fade as she realized where she was, and came back down from her bubble into the real world.

"Thanks, Jack. It was fun." she told him. Jack smiled back at her, and he took a few steps closer, weaving his hands around her waist.

Mimi paused in her seat. She was sitting at her desk, typing away, answering her many emails she received. Clad in a bathrobe and fuzzy slippers, she decided to creep outside of her room. She wanted to stay out of sight when she wasn't put together; Mimi wasn't even dressed.

She was missing her brother because she hadn't seen him all day. Her familiar never could compare to the company of her brother. When they weren't together, she felt like a part of her was missing.

Mimi made her way down the light carpeted hallway, and stopped when she got to the top of the staircase. There were voices coming from downstairs. Curiosity got the best of her, so she leaned over the railing, and what she saw made her queasy. Her brother, _her twin_, had his arms draped around **Schuyler Van Alen**. She stood there in shock. It was bad enough when they were just with one and another, but now, it was more than that.

Jack smiled down at Schuyler, while she nudged her head up, closer to his. He brought his hands up from around her waist, up to her head as he pulled her in to him. Mimi's heart lurched as he watched her brother kiss Schuyler with so much passion and strength. He explored her mouth, and when Schuyler tried to separate, Jack leaned down to her neck. He kissed her there, while Schuyler released a giggle.

Mimi stared at them, and Jack leaned away from the girl in front of him, while pushing away a stray hair from her face.

Mimi looked down, and slowly walked back towards her bedroom. She opened the door and closed it quietly, and made her way over to her bed. Sitting down on the comforter, she let her emotions take control of her body. Even though her brain was filled with detestation and rage, she was holding her knees to her chest for comfort. A wave of heat hit her, and she could feel the beats of sweat start to gather at her hairline, but she made no effort to brush them away.

Mimi could feel the anger in her brain, but her heart felt as though it had been ripped out. She could not begin to describe the intensity of the pain that was coursing through her body. A small sob escaped from inside, and Mimi tried to muffle it with the sleeve of her fluffy robe. She kept fighting the tears from collecting at the corners of her eyes, but her tear ducts refused to listen.

A single memory kept playing over and over in her mind. When Jack broke away from Schuyler, the way he looked at her was just heartbreaking. She had seen that look before. Before Schuyler ever came into his life.

Jack had always looked at her like that.

And, that thought alone made her forget trying to hold it inside. She broke down, with the salty tears of pain streaming down her face.

Mimi had always kept it together. Her brother had flirted with a great deal of girls, and she didn't care. Until Schuyler had showed up, he had always come back to her at the end of the day.

On the outside, Mimi had everything. The clothes, the money, the looks. She had a powerful family, many friends, and even a few handsome boyfriends. Underneath the phony, glamorous layer that people were led to believe, Mimi couldn't think of one material item that she could care about.

Her boyfriends had all been just familiars, and they couldn't ever truly be there for her. Her many friends were just the type who were followers; she had never had a friendship that she could rely on.

Mimi could think of one friendship that she thought she could depend on. Her brother meant the world to her. She always felt that she could be certain that Jack would love her no matter what.

The sight downstairs changed all of that. For the first time, Mimi felt alone.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she sat up on her bed. She felt like she couldn't trust her brother. Mimi got out of her bed and went to the bathroom to splash a bit of water on her face.

When she saw Jack and Schuyler kissing in her own home, she felt like her heart had been ripped out. She knew that her father, Charles Force, would be arriving home shortly. Mimi never wanted to feel like that again, but she couldn't make sure that she actually could prevent that from happening. But, there was one thing she was sure of.

Her father could.


	6. A Weakness and Dream

**Chapter 6: A Weakness and Dream**

Word Count: 5,209

Schuyler fell asleep quicker than usual. Her mind was reeling from the memories of Jack. Even the few seconds where she was lying in her bed, not asleep, she was thinking about Jack's eyes. He was careful around her, and it always made her smile about how much he cared.

After Mimi tried to go to sleep, she found that everything wasn't working. She sat up in her bed, and quickly whipped off the covers, frustrated. She had a mirror hanging on the wall opposite to her bed, and she looked at her reflection.

Blue Bloods were beautiful, on every occasion. This time, Mimi didn't just see a pretty face in the mirror. Instead of the dewy skin, pink lips, and sparkling eyes, she saw something else. If anyone were to look at her, those were the features that they would see. People usually didn't look too far past Mimi's looks, and her confidence. They saw her has someone with class and influence, not a person who were to break down.

Mimi tried to look closer into the mirror, and what she found within herself was depressing. There was a vulnerable depth to her eyes. Her skin looked like it had been drained of color; Mimi was usually golden, and now, her complexion held a sickly green hue. Her hair was not pulled back, but it was hanging in scraggily bunches around her face. Some sections were plastered to her face, while others were sticking out in different directions.

None of this really caught her attention. The only thing that she couldn't stop looking at was, in fact, her eyes. There wasn't the normal glint of life; they were completely dead. It was like staring at the mirror image of her own corpse.

Nothing had ever affected her this much. There had not been a time where she couldn't sleep over something. Even when she awoke from nightmares, she still managed to forget about them and fall back asleep.

But, she couldn't forget that painful memory.

She kept trying to convince herself that it hadn't happened, and she had imagined it, but the feelings were real enough. Jack and Schuyler, Schuyler and Jack. Mimi always knew that her twin had felt something towards Schuyler, but she had always pushed it to the far corners of her mind; it was just a small fact that held no importance. The kiss the two had shared changed Mimi's priorities. Jack and Schuyler's relationship had been at the bottom of the pile, and now it was back on top.

Mimi had been waiting for her father to arrive home. Charles Force would be able to help her. He knew that Jack could never be with Schuyler, just like Mimi. Last time, Jack hadn't listened to Charles when he said to stay away from her, and she was going to make sure this time, he did.

Mimi always got what she wanted, and when it came to family, it always mattered. She was very angry that Jack disrespected their father's wishes, but her sadness overtook the anger.

She looked down, away from her reflection. Getting out of her bed, Mimi walked over to her pale white armoire, and opened the doors. When the left door swung open, she caught her reflection in the full length mirror. Her tears had left trails down each smooth cheek, and Mimi tried wiping them away. Her hand came back damp, and she rubbed the moist hand on her pajama bottoms. She reached towards the back to get her bathrobe, and quickly put in on. Daring to look at herself in the mirror again, Mimi grabbed an elastic, and pulled her hair into a high ponytail. She tried to make herself smile. It wasn't that difficult, considering that she had gotten used to doing it over the years.

Mimi straightened her back, and took a deep breath. She opened her door as slowly as she could, and walked with her head held high. She walked past her brother's bedroom, and then paused at the top of the stairs like she had before. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she could see the scene play out before her, as it had.

Jack's arms around Schuyler's waist, embracing her. Then, in a moment, the image was gone. Mimi shook her head, to try and clear it. The mirage, the delusion, made her feel nauseous. She kept walking down the stairs, but her head wasn't held as high.

When Mimi got to the spot where the two had been standing, she didn't pause or stop. Unintentionally, she walked around the area instead of walking through it. It was as if there was an imaginary hole there.

Mimi made her way through the winding hallways, trying to keep warm in her fluffy bathrobe. When she finally reached her destination, she opened the heavy wooden door, and let herself inside. Mimi picked a chair, and sat down. Then, she waited for Charles Force to enter his office.

Schuyler awoke from a light and refreshing slumber. As usual, she turned to the left to look out her window. It wasn't nearly as bright and cheerful as it had been the day before. The sky was a darkened hue, and it looked like it was going to rain. Schuyler's mood had been very carefree when she woke up, but the weather outside put a damper on her cheery disposition.

Schuyler looked over at her clock, which sat in its normal position on the ornate table beside her bed. She gasped. The clock read 1:27. Rushing out of bed, Schuyler ran into the shower as quickly as she could to make up for the time she had lost while sleeping in.

While in the shower, she knew that Jack and the rest of the Force family would have been up for multiple hours already. Breakfast was promptly at nine, and she had managed to skip both breakfast and lunch.

Her shower was over as quickly as it started, and Schuyler ran to her closet, and grabbed the first pair of grey jeans and light blue long sleeve cashmere shirt she found. At least the shirt matched her eyes. She slipped on clean socks, and brushed her hair as fast as she could to get downstairs. Schuyler faced the facts.

Of course, she wanted to see Jack.

After their date the day before, Schuyler felt like things had changed between them. She rushed down the hallway and down the stairs. Realizing that she didn't need to hurry, Schuyler slowed down to a brisk walk, instead.

Checking for Jack in the kitchen, Schuyler was disappointed in not finding him there. She went through each room, checking to see if he was in any of them. Finally, she found him sitting in a chair in the library.

"Jack, there you are! I was looking for you all over." she gushed. Jack didn't look up from the novel he was looking at.

"I was here the whole time." he said. Schuyler could sense a hint of coldness hidden within the contours of his tone. She tried to think of something else to say that would ease the awkwardness between them. Before she opened her mouth, Jack opened his.

"Schuyler, I'm busy, okay?" Jack told her sharply. Shocked by the forcefulness of his words, Schuyler stood up, and jumped away from him. She paused, studying his face.

His eyes were cast downward, pointedly away from her. His body was angled towards the other direction as well. He was shutting her out, and Schuyler was confused by that. Her eyes drifted up to his jaw, and saw that it was clenched. His skin looked more yellow than it did white, too. She noticed that he had deep, dark circles beneath his bottom eyelids, as if he hadn't slept. Schuyler wondered what was troubling him.

"Jack?" she quietly questioned. Her one word held so many different feelings and inquiries. At the sound of his name, he looked up, giving her a wary glance.

"No, Schuyler. I can not speak with you now. Let me be." he told her. Before he let his eyes jump back towards the floor, Schuyler caught something odd within Jack's eyes. She tried to place it, but quickly moved on. She reached out for Jack, wanting him now more than ever.

"But, yesterday—" Schuyler started. Jack pulled away from her, and looked her straight in the eye, not loosing his composure.

"No," he paused, but didn't move or look away. "Yesterday was a mistake. We shouldn't have been…it's just not how things can be. I have already made a mistake before, but now I have to follow through. Like I have told you before, my family had certain obligations that can not be changed… I realize that now, and I think you should too. This has gone too far… There is no need for us to remain as we do, with the relationship we used to have. I do not need anything further from you, so we should just go on with our own lives; the ones that do not include each other. It is better that way… Sorry." Jack shuttered away from her, and left her sitting alone. Schuyler blinked. Jack's apology seemed forced, and if anything, it was saying 'no' more than 'sorry'. Schuyler couldn't believe what she was hearing. It seemed as if everything was moving in slow motion.

"Wait, Jack. Please, don't." she pleaded for him not to leave her. He turned away from her, and continued to walk towards the doorway. Schuyler tried to exhale, but her breath was broken. Something told her that this would be the last time with him.

Jack faced the weak girl sitting below him.

"It never can be." he told her. Schuyler's eyes left his face, and she looked down, tears clouding her vision. She was in desperate need of an arm, to hold her together. She had come so close to having him that she wasn't ready to give him up.

"It never will be, either." Schuyler almost let out a sob, but she held it in. her head was spinning, and the room was starting to become black. Schuyler was trying to finish the conversation, but things were fading fast.

Jack stared at Schuyler's pale, blank face. There was no recognition of comprehension in her expression at all.

"Please, wait. I thought…Jack, I…lov—" Jack closed his eyes, and put his hands out in front of him, as if to stop the words from flowing out of Schuyler's mouth.

"Don't make this more difficult. I have thought about this for a long time, and I know it is the best thing. For both of us."

Schuyler shut off all of her senses, sight, touch, and taste. But, she could still hear his final words directed to her.

"I'm sorry, Schuyler." he whispered, his voice barely audible. He left her sitting there, on the edge of the chair he sat in. Schuyler looked up.

Jack was a ghost. He arrived in her life, and now he would forever disappear. She would see him in the hallways, but she would walk past him, like he didn't exist. Her memories would slowly fade, until there would be nothing left. Like an empty glass or half of a locket. There would always be something missing.

Schuyler felt the tears flowing freely now. The edges of her vision were clouded, but she continued to stare into space. Instead of things moving in slow motion, now everything seemed to be speeding by. It was as if Schuyler was frozen in time, while everyone was going about their lives as normal.

She was sitting sideways on the arm of the leather chair, and she rested her head on her legs. Her mind kept repeating the event over and over, as she tried to make sense of it. One thing kept coming back again and again. The odd look in Jack's eyes. Schuyler gasped mutely when she realized what it was. Within Jack's eyes was the look of desperation. Frozen with the thought, she lay there, silently, until she drifted into sleep.

Jack exited the library, and quickened his pace down the hallway. So many different emotions were going through him. The look on Schuyler's face; it made him think twice about the choice he was forced to make.

The night before, he hadn't been able to sleep. The day was filled with sweet surprises, and Jack's mind was reeling. He was in the library, reading, when his twin had walked to him. Jack was surprised that he saw her the way he did; she looked terrible. Her skin was chalky, and her eyes were puffy. He didn't understand why she had been crying, if she had. She was even in her bathrobe, to top it all off. Immediately, he had reached out to her. Mimi had gladly accepted his embrace, but instead of leaving him be, she brought him into their father's office. He knew something was wrong.

Jack had sat down in one of the chairs, next to Mimi, and across from Charles. Trying to make sense of what was happening, Jack scanned his twin's face for any details. He even tried reading her mind, but she had shut it off, which she never did. Mimi's eyes were on the ground, and her arms were wrapped around her stomach. Jack had tried to touch her, but she just looked at him. She wrapped her arms tighter around herself, and looked away. Jack had never seen his sister like that before, and it worried him.

His father approached him in a professional manner, but Jack could tell that he was disappointed and angry with something he had done. Charles let Mimi tell Jack what she had seen, and how she had told Charles about what had happened when he arrived home. When she got to her encounter, Jack froze. She had seen him?

"You were downstairs, at the bottom of the stairs, you were with her." Mimi had said to him. She couldn't even say Schuyler's name. Jack could tell that Mimi was getting upset by the way her voice cracked at the end of her sentence. He tried to look away from her, to try and escape from what was happening.

"You…you…I saw you!" she cried. Jack sat in his chair, his jaw frozen tightly, and his fists curled. He couldn't even explain himself. There was nothing to explain. Charles sat back, and waited. Mimi became furious.

"You were kissing her! I saw you!" she repeated. Her hands flew from her stomach to the two arms of the chair. She gripped the finished wood tightly, her knuckles white. She faced her brother dead on, her eyes burning holes in him.

"How could you? How could you!?" she howled. The tears that had permanently formed at the sides of her eyes were now pouring over, down the paths that had already been made.

Jack leaned forward, to stop her from saying anything more. He put his hand over hers.

"No! Don't touch me!" she shrieked at him, while whipping her hand out from under his. She covered her face with both of her hands, and sobbed. Jack couldn't stand Mimi getting upset. He looked over at Charles.

"Do you see what you've done?" He looked down at his son. Fury filled his voice, all the professionalism that was once there was now gone. He stood up from his chair.

"Jack, you know what you have to do. You had better fix the situation." Charles commanded him. He was filled with so much frustration for Jack, that he got up from his chair and exited the room, slamming the door on the way out. He left Mimi and Jack in the room alone together. Jack had tried to turn towards Mimi, and comfort her.

"Please, Mimi. Don't be like this." he begged her. His voice began desperate.

"I don't…I am so sorry. I didn't mean for you to see that." he added feebly. Mimi let out a final heaving cry, and wiped her eyes, which were still flooding.

"Nothing…nothing you could ever say could…fix this. You have already done too much." she whispered. Mimi stood up, and the look she gave him made him want to break down. Her expression was so broken, so hurt. Jack rose after her.

"Please," he murmured. She ignored him, and walked towards the door. She placed her shaking hand on the doorknob, and looked back towards her twin.

"Jack, just let me be. Leave me alone… please." Mimi begged her brother. She breathed unevenly, and left the room. Jack was alone, and the silence almost was deafening.

Now, Jack was in the present. He had tried to fix the situation, and now he was left even emptier than he had felt before. Jack walked slowly up to his room, but he stopped in front of his sister's room. He had noticed that she hadn't come downstairs all morning. Without thinking it through, Jack raised his right hand and knocked on the door twice. He heard a small mumble, and with that, he opened the door.

He saw his sister in her bed, still in her bathrobe and old pajamas. Her hair was greasy and stringy, but he didn't care. She looked over at him, and tried not to frown when he walked over to sit on the edge of her bed.

"Mimi." he said. Jack watched her eyes follow his as he brought his hand up to her face. He brushed one of the stray tears from its place on her reddened cheeks. She tried to look within his eyes to see if things might be alright. He reached for her hand, and in turn, she reached for his. When their palms connected, it was like Jack had found the missing piece. Maybe if he could not be with Schuyler, he could find the happiness that was right under his nose all along.

Schuyler had awoken from her slumber, and felt extremely out of place. The area where she had rested her head on her jeans was soaked with tears. Her head was swimming, and she felt dizzy. Her energy had been sucked out of her, and she had stumbled from the chair to the exit. When she got to her room, she felt odd. She was without something.

Oliver.

Schuyler sighed. Her best friend, her Conduit, and even her familiar, was not there for her. She picked up her phone, and checked for messages. She was anxious to see him, or at the very least, talk to him. She had hurt her friend, but she had apologized for it. Didn't that count for anything?

Schuyler clicked a few buttons, and soon enough, she was calling Oliver again. She got his answering machine.

"Oliver, it's me, Sky. Please pick up. I really need you right now. Please…just call me back." She hung up. Her head wouldn't stop spinning, and she couldn't focus enough to tell why. She was standing, and in front of her eyes, all she could see was black. Feeling around for her bed, Schuyler crawled into it, and shut her eyes, all while waiting for the feeling to pass.

Moments and hours past. The Force house was filled with regret and sadness, but also relief. The rain was pounding against the large window in Schuyler's room, and the sound of the rain was all but soothing. It just reminded her of sorrow. Every 'ping' of the drops sounded like, "Jack. Jack. Jack. Jack." Their relationship had been hanging by a thread, but now it was all over. Schuyler was still dazed by everything, and she was still very tired. She sat up slowly. Suddenly, her cell phone rang. Luckily, she had placed it beside her when she fumbled her way to her bed. Schuyler pressed 'talk' on her tiny phone.

"Hello?" she questioned groggily. She sounded as if she had a bad cold, or she had just woken up. A far away, cheerful voice made its way through the speakers on Schuyler's phone.

"Sky? Hi! It's Bliss. How are you doing?" she asked. Schuyler tried to regain as much consciousness as she could for the time being to carry on a conversation.

"Bliss?" Schuyler managed to squeak out her friend's name.

"Gee, you sure sound like you want to talk to me." Bliss's tone was loaded with sarcasm. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just tired. Go on."

"Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to meet me somewhere. I need to tell you something." Right on cue, a huge crack of thunder ripped through the sky. Schuyler looked over to her window.

"It's pouring out. What about telling me on the phone?" she asked.

"No, it's really important. Please, Schuyler." Bliss sounded like she was very anxious, and it actually was something important.

"Alright, where do you want to meet?" she asked, agreeing right away. Bliss thought for a moment, pausing.

"How about Starbucks, a few blocks from my street?" she asked. Schuyler confirmed the location, and she grabbed a jacket, some money, and an umbrella, before heading off to meet her friend.

When she got to Starbucks, she tipped the cab driver and hurried inside, away from the blue and black air that clung to her jacket. She opened the door and a warm blast of air hit her. Inside Starbucks, she felt safe, like it was a refuge. The heat, the coffee, and the smells. It was even quiet. She scanned the shop for Bliss. She found the curly redhead at the table closest to the window. Schuyler made her way over, past the empty tables and chairs.

"Sky! Hi!" Bliss greeted her friend. She patted the chair next to her, and she sipped her warm hot chocolate. Motioning to a second hot chocolate in front of the other chair, Bliss held it up for Schuyler to take.

Schuyler gently grabbed the steaming cup from Bliss's hand, and sipped it slowly. She was going to take advantage of the much needed relaxation.

"Hey, Bliss! So…you dragged me out here for some reason. What is the important news?" Schuyler asked. She took another sip of her drink, and sat back in her seat. She let the warm of the liquid engulf her from the bottom of her stomach to the tips of her fingers.

"I had the strangest dream." she started. Schuyler gave Bliss a look. This is what she came all the way here for?

"A dream?" Schuyler asked, doubtingly. Bliss rolled her eyes. She leaned forward, towards Schuyler, and kept her voice down.

"Yes, but it is important because of who it was about…" Bliss exhaled. "Dylan." Schuyler looked up from her hot chocolate, now interested in what Bliss had to say. Her eyebrows were raised.

"Go on." she encouraged. She knew that her own dreams held importance, and Bliss's might be vital too. Bliss took a deep breath, and then took another sip, before she continued on.

"Well, I have been having many dreams, where I just see his face. But, the one that stood out the most to me was the one where I was in my own room. It was so clear, as if I truly was awake. I was standing in my closet, looking at a picture. I can't remember what the picture looked like, though. All I know is that it was very important. The picture had come from a velvet box…the one that held Lucifer's Bane. The emerald necklace. I saw something in the photograph; I saw something that was like the second to last piece of the puzzle. It was like I had almost figured something out, but not quite.

While I was looking at it, there was a huge crash. I turned to look where it came from, and there was Dylan, in the corner of my room. He was bleeding from the glass broken from my window. It was strange, because he was still wearing the same clothes that I had seen him in before.

I remember feeling exhilarated. Dylan! Dylan was alive. But, he was in pain, hurt. I was holding the emerald in my hand still, and he flinched, like the very presence of it burned him.

I tried to help him, but he waved me away." Bliss stopped, and took a sip of her drink, trying not to get too worked up. Schuyler watched her intently.

"And, he said, 'I know who the Silver Blood is.' After he said those words, I woke up, in my bed." Bliss sighed. She knew that even if she couldn't see Dylan in her real life, at least she had a chance to see him in her dreams, no matter how strange they were.

"Well, what do you think?" Bliss asked. Schuyler pondered the dream for a moment.

"Bliss, I really don't know. Maybe, give it a while. You might be able to figure it out after a few more dreams. They could each reveal a few details, but the outcome of it all might make you realize what they are trying to tell you."

Bliss smiled, and then nodded.

"Maybe you're right. Well, thanks for coming out here to meet me." She checked her watch.

"Oh! It's already ten! We should get back." Bliss stood up. Schuyler followed her, and they each grabbed their empty cups. As she was following Bliss to the trash, the blackness came back and fogged her sight. Schuyler leaned against the wall, waiting for it to pass.

"Sky! Sky! Are you okay? Schuyler? Wake up!" Schuyler opened her eyes. The weak feeling had come back. It was tiring to even get her eyes open. Bliss was at her side. It wasn't until then, that Schuyler realized that she had sunk to the floor. How long had she been sitting there? Even the Starbucks employee had come to see what was going on.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." she waved her hand as if to dismiss the fact that she could barely keep her eyes open, and she was sitting on the ground. She tried to stand up, and grabbed a chair for support.

She tried to smile, and eventually the employee slowly walked away, giving Schuyler a weird look on her way back to the register. Bliss frowned.

"Schuyler? What's wrong?" she wondered. Bliss put her arm around Schuyler's waist, and Schuyler put her arm around Bliss's shoulder for support. Schuyler just groaned. Bliss walked them both back to the exit of the shop and kept her voice low.

"When was the last time you fed?" she asked. Schuyler would've rolled her eyes, but she felt too worn-out to do so. Bliss looked at her friend with worry.

"I'm serious. You seem really weak." Bliss sent one last concerned glance Schuyler's way, and then helped get a cab.

When the cab had pulled up to the Force mansion, Bliss helped Schuyler up the steps and into the house. The weakness seemed to be slowly disappearing. Bliss was getting worried about her. She had seemed so differently lately, sadder, possibly.

As Bliss was taking the steps up to the entrance to her building, she was thinking about what Schuyler had said. Maybe she just had to focus, and wait it out. In time, she could probably figure out what her dreams actually meant. And, that made her happy.

She greeted the doorman, and went straight for the elevator. Soon enough, she was up in her penthouse. Her parents weren't there, as usual. Her father was away for business, and her stepmother went with. Her sister was in the penthouse, which, she couldn't care one bit.

She went over to her room and opened the door. Bliss half expected to see a boy curled up in the corner covered in blood and glass like from her dream.

She got her pajamas on, and hurried to bed quickly. She brushed her teeth, and washed her face, but then turned off all of her lights. She pulled back the covers, excited to see if she would have a new dream. She found that she slipped into unconsciousness quite easily that night.

Bliss was in the alleyway between Block 122 and The Bank. It was just like the fateful night of Aggie's death. The same wind whispered through the streets, and the moon was bright and full. Bliss looked around her. She wasn't standing on either side of the alley. She was directly in the middle between The Bank side, and the Block 122 side.

On one side, there was Jack, Charles, Lawrence, and many other male Blue Bloods who had been bonded. On the other side, stood Mimi, Allegra, Cordelia, and the other bonded females.

Suddenly, Bliss was leaning against the wall among the women. On her left stood Mimi, statuesque, and on her right stood Allegra, looking eerily identical to Schuyler. She faced forward, like all of them were.

Each of the women held up their hands, palms out. The men on the other side mirrored their actions. Suddenly, a wind raked through the alley, which caused a faint glow to shimmer on the palms of the Blue Bloods. The males took a few, synchronized steps, and one by one, they pressed their palms against the opposite person's. Bliss watched in amazement as Jack walked to Mimi and placed his palm against hers softly. A beam of light shot up from the center of their hands. Then, Charles did the same to Allegra, and down the line. As each couple went, the light got brighter and brighter. Every male and female had connected hands.

They were bonded.

Suddenly, a face appeared in her mind. He became more and clearer, until he was there, with her. His sad eyes were upturned, like he was doing something right, and that he wasn't regretting it. Dylan walked forward, and slowly raised his palms up to hers. Bliss could feel herself smiling and she did the same.

He took one last step, to close the tiny gap that separated their hands. The moment their palms touched, something made her feel complete; she felt like she was whole. The same beam that glowed from her friend's hands shone from hers. Her ray of light became less dim, and grew brighter and brighter than the others. It shot out from between their fingers into the air, and flashed through her vision until it became completely white.

Bliss awoke with a jump. Her dream had been so real. She sat up in bed, and looked at her palms. Nothing seemed different. Bliss was aware of how warm it was in her room, and she wiped the sweat from her forehead, and lay back in her bed.

She thought about her dreams, and what they could mean to her. Just before Bliss fell back into a dreamless slumber, she sat up with a start.

She put her past dreams together, and there was one thing in common. She connected the common factor into the new dream, and to the common factor in that.

She had been having all these strange dreams for a reason.

And, now she finally knew why.


	7. Familiar

**Chapter 7: Familiar**

Word Count: 5,233

The following morning, Bliss stumbled out of bed. It usually didn't take much; she was a morning person. After her dream, she had gotten up and went to get a glass of water. She shook her head, as if to stop the multitude of thoughts that were coursing through her brain. She noticed that her hands were shaking. Bliss put down her water glass and held her hands together, trying to steady herself. She felt warm and clammy, and she was sure that her red hair was sticking to her skin. She stood in her bathroom for a moment, water glass in hand. She stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Bliss realized that she had never really looked at herself. Whenever was getting ready to go to school, or to Block 122 with Mimi, she had always put on her make up quickly and blown her hair out. She didn't look at herself for long. Now, sweat glistening on her skin, she looked at her face. Bliss's green eyes glittered in the artificial glow that was shining down from the ceiling. She looked into the mirror, watching as her pupils dilated from the light. Suddenly, Bliss was in her dream again.

The once bright light that clouded her vision dimmed and she stood alone in the alley with Dylan. They dropped their hands, but they held eye contact. Dylan smiled, and spoke carefully.

"Nos estis, preteritus, tendo, posterus. Nos estis forever." Hearing these words, Bliss stared at him with wide eyes. The Latin language that had escaped his lips flew through Bliss's ears and her brain instantly translated them.

_Nos estis, preteritus, tendo, posterus. __Nos estis forever._

We are the past, present, future. We are forever.

He took her hand gently. He smiled at her, looking into her eyes. She felt her jaw stretch as she smiled back at him. Without looking back, she willingly followed him into the light.

Bliss heard a loud shatter. She was in her bathroom. Surprised, she looked around for the noise. Her pajama pants were soaked, and the floor was covered in water.

She ran over to the kitchen to get something that would clean up the broken glass from her dropped cup. She must have let go of it subconsciously. She turned around to get some paper towels, and a scream was caught in her throat.

"You scared me!" she said. In front of her stood her younger sister, Jordan, who was staring at her with wide eyes.

"What?" Bliss murmured. Jordan frowned, her eyebrows furrowed. She placed a hand on her hip.

"I heard a crash. And, you are bleeding." Bliss followed Jordan's eyes, and sure enough, her feet were sporting new cuts from the broken glass. Jordan squinted, trying to look closer at the blood pooling at the surface of her sister's skin.

"You're blood looks –" Bliss turned away from her sister, to hide her from the blue that had started to stain. She reached over to the paper towels that she had come for to cover her cuts. She wiped the blood off, and smeared sapphire liquid over the rest of her foot.

"Damn!" she hissed. Bliss hobbled over to the sink to wet the wispy material. Jordan appeared at her side. She offered over three Band-Aids. Bliss grabbed them and ripped the paper open quickly. She looked over at her sister suspiciously. But then, she rolled her eyes, annoyed with herself. What was Jordan doing wrong?

"What happened?" Jordan asked. Avoiding her eyes, Bliss threw the waste in the garbage basket in a blink of an eye.

"Nothing. Why do you care?"

"Never mind." Bliss finished bandaging her foot, and when she turned around, Jordan was gone. She sighed. Her sister was slightly strange. She still couldn't seem to figure her out.

After Bliss managed to clean up the blue blood that had ceased to ooze from the injuries on her feet, she suddenly remembered what she came from her room to do. She got the vacuum from the hall closet and tiptoed back into her bathroom.

When she got back into her room, she picked up all of the larger pieces of glass and put them in her garbage. The rest, she vacuumed up. When she finished, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and stood up. She stood up, and looked in the mirror again.

Bliss's mind had wondered when she was cleaning her floor, and she was trying to remember what had made her drop the glass in the first place. She remembered getting out of bed and going into the bathroom, but then her memory had stopped. There was a fog replacing the time period between walking into the bathroom and the shatter of glass.

Still wondering about what had happened, Bliss wandered through the doorway and into her bed, leaving the lights on in the bathroom. She pulled the covers up, over her shoulders, and lay there. Her eyes wouldn't close, no matter how much she forced them. That blanket of unknown was scaring Bliss. What had happened?

The time ticked by, and Bliss still was awake. She was getting tired of not being able to retain information. Even though she was getting warm underneath the blankets, she didn't break her focus. Bliss scrolled through every possible thing that could've happened, but nothing rang a bell.

Frustrated, Bliss got up quickly, whipping off her duvet. She swung her feet over to the edge of the bed and stood up.

The lights in the bathroom were nearly blinding. She walked through the doorway and caught a glance at herself in the mirror. Suddenly, it was as if a movie was being fast forwarded through her brain. Memories flooded her vision, and Bliss felt lightheaded.

She sat down on the ledge of the bathtub, trying not to faint. Suddenly, the slideshow of memories paused at one still shot. Bliss was outside, smiling and holding the hand of a taller, more rugged boy who was wearing a leather jacket and had smelled faintly of smoke.

Behind her was a familiar light, one she remembered seeing before. Bliss rubbed her temple. She was so close, and if she lost it, she might never be able to think of it again.

The smile was frozen on her face until the image started to move. Bliss could see herself in an alleyway. Dylan squeezed her hand and smiled back. Bliss could almost feel the worn-in soft material that made up his jacket.

She saw Dylan repeat the same words that she remembered him speaking before.

_Nos estis, preteritus, tendo__, posterus. __Nos estis forever._

Suddenly, everything that she had forgotten came back to her. She didn't even realize that her mouth had dropped open. Bliss watched as Dylan held on to her hand and gently guided her to the light that was behind her. When she saw herself walk into the white ray, and as soon as she disappeared, the light expanded with a flash and just like before, she was in her bathroom.

Bliss leaned her clammy face against the tiled wall of the bathtub area. The cool felt good on her warm cheek. Bliss closed her eyes for a moment, trying to focus on the epiphany.

Dylan had said those words. We are the past, present, future. We are forever. Past, present… future. Bliss could only think of one thing that was forever.

Bonding.

Bliss sat very still. Forever… She opened her eyes again, and stared at the empty space in front of her.

The people in her dream were all bonded. Mimi, Jack, Allegra, Charles. She was alone until someone had come into her life. Dylan. When he had placed his rough hands against hers, she felt like he was a part of her. Bliss shuddered at the thought of separating from him. Dylan was so important to her. It was as if…

As if they were bonded.

Bliss inhaled quickly, thinking of the idea. Was she truly bonded to Dylan? Slowly, she closed her eyes, feeling the wave of sleepiness wash over her. If Bliss was bonded to Dylan…

Bliss felt a familiar dryness in her throat. She tried to swallow, but a few tears escaped from her tear ducts and rolled down her cheeks. Dylan had been in her life, but now that was nothing more than a memory.

As her eyes closed again, Bliss fell into an empty, dreamless sleep.

Mimi awoke, with her hand still locked in her brothers. She turned over to face him. The light from her window poured through the glass and lit up his face. She studied the creases that remained even when he was relaxed. She slowly took her hand from his, careful not to wake him from his slumber. When she started to move, Jack groaned tiredly and turned onto his back, his eyes still shut. Without realizing it, Mimi brought her hand up to his white blond hair and pushed it away from his eyes.

Half asleep, Jack smiled at the contact. Mimi took her hand away, slowly turned back to her side of the bed and swung her feet over the side. She got up, and the bed moved only slightly, but enough to make Jack stir. He sat up quickly and looked around. He was still in a polo and chinos, but now they were crumpled. When he realized he was in his sister's room, he smiled over at her.

"Why, hello. Good morning, Jack." Mimi told him lightly. She found that she was in a good mood. She walked over to his side and pulled him into an embrace. He pulled her in tighter when she started to pull away. Mimi frowned, her face burrowed into his shoulder. Jack kissed the top of her head, but still didn't let her go. He inhaled the scent on her neck, and then to her collarbone.

"Jack?" Mimi questioned him. She tried to pull away again, but he put his hands on her face.

"Yes…?" Jack looked at her face, searching. Mimi pushed away from him again. Finally, he let her go. In a blink of an eye, Mimi was across the room. Jack turned around and smiled. He got up and walked across to stand in front of her.

"Mimi-" he started. Mimi silenced him. She pushed her hair behind her ear.

"Listen, I've got to get dressed. See you, downstairs. Okay?" She watched him leave her standing in the corner of her room. Mimi was taken aback by his actions. It was very different than Jack had ever acted before. He was never forceful, and he was shy. Mimi was the more outgoing one, whereas Jack was reserved. What had gotten into him?

Mimi turned on her computer and loaded her planner. She saw that the whole day was open. It was Monday, and the next day they would have to go back to school after the long weekend. It was the last day of vacation, and Mimi wanted to celebrate it somehow.

But, she had to go shopping first.

Mimi arrived at Barney's, and went straight to the back room as usual. Her personal shopper had picked out a multitude of dresses and outfits. Mimi brushed through each piece slowly. She pulled out a diaphanous black blouse. It had a tie in the back and a silver gleam that reflected the light. The deep v-neck was slit down to the band that eventually went around to the opposite side to be tied. Even though it had no sleeves, Mimi was sure she wouldn't be cold tonight.

She quickly grabbed a few other pieces of clothing off the rack, including an azure tank top that hit at the navel, and a small slit from the collar to the navel as well, and a black mini skirt that bordered on inappropriate. She walked into her dressing room and quickly changed into the first shirt. She stepped out of the dressing room and spun around. She looked at her reflection. Mimi knew that this was a good distraction for everything that was going on lately.

She looked at her reflection when suddenly the memory of her sallow face from before flashed through her mind. She was suddenly the girl she had been before. Her mascara had stained her cheeks and the dark circles came back. Her hair was stuck to her face that was glistening with sweat. As soon as the memory arrived, it left. But, it still haunted and roamed through her mind.

Mimi blinked, and everything was back to how it had been. She was in the back room at Barney's, wearing the shirt that still had the tags on, and staring at her reflection. Shuddering, she turned away from the face that taunted her. She quickly walked back to the dressing room and changed into her clothes. Taking the pile of clothes that she had not yet tried on, Mimi walked to the register to buy them all.

As soon as Mimi got home, she ran to her phone and text messaged the other Blue Bloods in the school. Instead of text messaging her, Mimi decided to call Bliss. She hadn't seen her for a long time.

"Hello?" Mimi heard Bliss answer from the other line. Something in Bliss's voice sounded sad and out of place. She dismissed it.

"Hey, Bliss! Do you want to come over tonight?" she said nonchalantly.

"Um, tonight? I don't-"

"Around nine? I hope you can be here…"

"I really don't think I can. Sorry!"

"Why?"

"I… have a dinner with my parents." Mimi knew fully well that Bliss's parents were out of town until next week, but she didn't confront her friend. Mimi rolled her eyes.

"Alright, fine. Miss you!" She heard a click on the other end. What was up with Bliss these days? She finished texting all of the other Blue Bloods, with open invitations. For familiars, of course.

Mimi was glad that her parents had gone away for a few days. She realized that Charles needed a break, which he rarely took. After the decision Jack chose to make... Mimi grimaced at the thought of her brother with Schuyler. She hadn't seen her lately, for Schuyler had been staying inside the walls of her room for the majority of the hours in the day.

Mimi made sure that things were in place downstairs, and rushed upstairs. It wouldn't be as great at the Llewellyn party, but it was enough on a days notice. She had ordered the buffet and party favors from well known shops in town, and she had the ceiling-high stereo system and surround sound speakers put in, and the DJ would have to arrive in minutes. There were people carrying appetizers, and others who were in charge of the bar.

As for the furniture, Mimi knew that her house was styled after Victorian times, and she also knew that no one would dare ruining her furniture.

She went back to her room and quickly changed into the black top that she had actually tried on. The gauzy fabric fit her perfectly, and she turned to look at herself in all angles. She paired the blouse with a similar skirt to the black one she had just bought. Because of the silver sheen to the top, Mimi chose to pair it with silver diamond hoops that skimmed the top of her shoulders, and diamond studded bangles. She put on a pair of kitten heels and looked at her reflection. She smiled in spite of herself. Mimi knew one thing: she was going to have fun tonight.

Schuyler was sitting in her room, on her bed, watching television. Neither Oliver nor Bliss had called her back, and that worried her. She knew that she was being selfish, but she truly needed Oliver. In her mind, Schuyler could form the mental snapshot that she had taken when she turned to see her best friend. She found that she deserved it; Oliver was probably doing the right thing. She felt bad about what he had seen, but she wanted to see him again.

Schuyler knew that moping around in her room would do no good, but the dizzy feeling had never really gone away, just faded. Even in the shower, after only taking few steps, the blackness had started to cloud Schuyler's vision. So, she had spent most of her time in her room. Not that she didn't want to.

Suddenly, a loud boom echoed through the mansion. Sitting up in bed, Schuyler felt the walls vibrate. She turned off the television and listened. A loud rap song sent the floor underneath her feet to vibrate as well. The bass was turned up, she could tell. The doorbell rang, and she could hear Mimi's musical voice greet the people at the door. It sounded like a large group.

Making her way over to open her bedroom door, Schuyler listened to hear if she recognized any names. When she didn't, her curiosity took over, and she headed down the hallway.

Schuyler looked over the railing and saw a vast amount of people flooding through the hallways and rooms of the Force abode. All of them were familiar to Schuyler; they were the Blue Bloods from school. There were others, but they weren't shining in the dark, like the Blue Bloods were. Schuyler came to the conclusion that they were familiars. She saw a familiar disarray of white blond hair, and before she could see the face, Schuyler bolted back to her room. Within a few seconds, the person who she did not want to see the most was standing in front of her.

"Wait!" Jack said, holding his hands up in front of his body. Schuyler looked bewildered. Why was Jack talking to her? Schuyler continued in the direction in which she was heading in, trying not to look at Jack. He retreated, but continued.

"Schuyler." Jack reached over and grabbed her hand. She stopped struggling, but wouldn't look in his eyes. She could feel his eyes boring into her head.

"Don't you want to come down to the party?" Schuyler refrained from grimacing. "Let's go!"

Schuyler backtracked. Let's go? He wanted to accompany her? Schuyler became confused. She was under the impression that they would never talk to each other again, unless completely necessary. As much as she wanted to follow him, she didn't know if she should trust him completely, yet. How could she forgive him?

"Um… I just was going to my room. You know, I'm kind of tired. Not in a dancing mood." She used that as an excuse. Not an open invitation to join her.

"Oh, really? We won't go down, then. Follow me." Schuyler watched his lips as he spoke, unable to work her own. She was nervous. Why was Jack doing this? They were going to get caught… and get in trouble. And, Mimi was just downstairs.

Nonetheless, she still was being led by her hand down the hallway opposite to hers. When Jack opened the door, Schuyler looked around. The room was completely neat, but the walls were painted red and the wooden furniture matched perfectly. It looked like a boy's room. Schuyler mentally froze, but continued to follow Jack.

He sat down on his bed, and patted the seat next to him. Sitting down, Schuyler still refused to look Jack in the eye. She looked down at her hands instead, waiting for him to say something first.

"I just wanted to say…" Jack started. Schuyler looked up, hearing the unsure wavering in his voice. She watched him intently. He didn't break his eye contact with her. He looked like he was contemplating telling her something. Even though Schuyler was afraid of what he would say, she was silently begging him to continue.

"I just wanted to say… that what I said before… it was not called for. I didn't mean to – hurt you. In any way." Jack searched her face for any hint as to what she was thinking. Schuyler stared at him. When she didn't say anything back, Jack felt the need to fill the silence.

"I wish I could take back the words I said, but I can't redo what has already been done. Sky, I am – really – so sorry. Please, forgive me." Schuyler had the same sudden urge to touch him. The look in his eyes was that of sadness and wonder. He looked vulnerable.

Without even saying anything, Schuyler leaned her head on his shoulder, as if to comfort him. He wrapped his arm around her, and held her close to his chest. He leaned in towards her ear, and whispered, "I am so sorry."

Schuyler leaned back farther, to look at Jack, to see his expression. Just like before, everything about him was inviting her in. She needed him.

Jack looked down at Schuyler with wide eyes. She wanted him to want her as she did. His mouth was formed in a straight line, and for the second that she looked away from him, he pressed his body against hers. Their embrace was short-lived, and Schuyler felt that the hug was out of place. She didn't want him to hug her.

He leaned in and kissed her cheek. She stopped breathing. What was he thinking? Schuyler expected him to back away, but he didn't. Jack brought his lips from her cheek to her neck. He inhaled deeply.

Schuyler sat, rigid, not moving. Exhaling, she tried to relax as she leaned against him. He got down to her collarbone when he kissed her. Even though she knew it was wrong, Schuyler felt a wave of pleasure course through her body. She shifted herself so she was nearly on his lap. The arm that was not wrapped around her was sitting on her leg, in which Schuyler took advantage of. Slowly, she let her fingers drift up his arm until it wound around his neck.

Suddenly, she felt something sharp against her neck. The only thing she could think of was… teeth? Not thinking one thing about it, Schuyler distracted Jack by draping her arms over his shoulders, kneeling in front of him.

They looked at each other, waiting for the other one to make a move. Schuyler began to grow impatient. She wanted this... so why was she having second thoughts? Quickly trying to dismiss those particular thoughts from her mind, she distracted herself by gliding her long fingers along Jack's cheeks and down his neck. He closed his eyes.

"Schuyler," he started. He grabbed her arms and held them at her sides. To stop the frown that was forming on her face, Jack leaned down to kiss her. Releasing her arms from his grip, he brought his hands up to her waits and the small of her back, pushing her against him. Schuyler kissed him back with as much confidence as she had built up.

Flashbacks of their most recent date sprang to Schuyler's mind. The kisses they had experienced while at the beach were nothing compared to this. Those were sweet and gentle, but she could feel Jack's eagerness through his body language. In his room, things seemed more wild and passionate. Nothing could compare to how she felt when she was with Jack at that precise moment. He slowly leaned on to his back, Schuyler following him, never separating them.

A million thoughts were racing through Schuyler's mind. One part of her was questioning why she was being so physical with a boy who nearly told her that she could never talk to him again. Another part was rooting for them to be together.

Her heart was competing with her brain. Trying to make sense of her feelings and thoughts, she tried to lean away from Jack. When she did, he just pulled her onto him. He continued, all while Schuyler was trying to push away from him. She was nearly completely on top of his chest, and his arms were around her; her muscles were non-existent compared to his. Schuyler had never realized the extent of his strength until just then.

"Jack –" she mumbled, her lips crushed against his. She tried to kneel, to help push her off of him. She felt frustration pour through her veins.

She could feel his lips go from her neck to her collarbone. She shivered. Suddenly, the familiar blackness formed in the corners of her vision. She felt the fog start to overtake her. She shut her eyes.

Jack noticed right away; the clenched fists, the helpless scowl, and the tightly closed eyes. He pushed her away from him, but reached out for her.

"Sky? Sky? Are you alright?" He started to panic. He laid her on her back, and he kneeled over her. She managed to open her eyes, but she could not see him in front of her.

"Schuyler? Answer me!" His voice started to rise. He thought for a while, trying to get her to answer him.

"Wake up, Schuyler please!" he begged her. He could see her skin, which was once luminous, now dull. She mumbled a few unintelligible words in response. He lay there next to her, and kept his hand over her heart.

Schuyler opened her eyes and looked around. She sat up quickly, which made her feel lightheaded.

"Jack?" she questioned quietly. Jack was still next to her, and he put his arm around her carefully.

"You passed out. It's been about fifteen minutes." He looked like he wanted to say more, but didn't.

"What?" she asked him. He was looking at her uncomfortably. He looked at her forehead, avoiding her eyes.

"When was the last time… you fed?" he asked her awkwardly. Schuyler blushed. "You seem very weak, Sky. I'm just worried. Please."

"Um…" she felt nauseous. She couldn't get a hold of Oliver. After how badly he had been hurt, she didn't think she was good enough to call him.

"Are you okay, now? There are plenty – you know – at the party, downstairs." Schuyler tried not to roll her eyes. That was the last thing she wanted to do.

She watched as Jack got up from his bed and offered her his hand. She gladly took it, and he helped her gain her balance. On the way to the stairs, Jack let Schuyler run to her room and get cleaned up.

As soon as she reappeared, Schuyler felt a little bit more confident. She had washed her face and brushed her teeth. Because of all the rest she had lately, her skin was nothing less than glowing, as were her eyes. She put on a few layers of mascara and liquid liner, and brushed her hair out.

She even changed her clothes. Schuyler didn't know what to expect, but she wanted to take this seriously, even though it wasn't Oliver. She didn't want to do this, but she hoped it would help her. Plus, Jack was going to help her. That alone made her want to try her hardest.

When Schuyler emerged from her room, Jack smiled at her, his teeth glinting in the artificial light. He helped her down the stairs, and led her into the party.

Schuyler sat on one of the barstools with a drink in hand. Jack had left her be, but she knew he was watching her out of the corner of his eye. She drank slowly from her glass, when a dark figure joined her. She turned, trying her hardest to turn on the seductive charm.

"Hey. You're Schuyler, right?" the boy asked. He was a dark brunette, and his blue eyes were almost as bright as her own. He had large eyes and his lips were slightly smaller than usual, but he was handsome, for a Red Blood. Schuyler put down her drink and smiled.

"Yeah, I am. Who wants to know?" she leaned in closer to him. Even though she had that silly smile on her face, Schuyler was mentally rolling her eyes. How did she ever think that she could pull this off? She wasn't even that good at making friends. Her best friend had been her friend since she was young.

But, it seemed to be working.

"Hmmm. I'm Kyle." He smiled, and Schuyler caught a glance of his perfect teeth. She recognized him. Kyle Gillan. He was on the Lacrosse team, and he was a senior. A slightly drunk senior. She realized that she could take advantage of that. Schuyler stopped herself. Who was she to be "taking advantage" of anything? Sometimes, Schuyler wished that she was Mimi, with no second thoughts and no conscience. One who could take a million familiars and not care at all.

But, she was not like that.

Schuyler got up from her chair, trying to just trust her instinct. She brushed back her hair with her hand, and then put hers in his.

"Do you want to dance?" she asked. She noticed that he was staring at her lips, which she wet subconsciously. He nodded, transfixed by the gleam of her eyes. Schuyler ended up leading him to the outer edges of the dance floor. The rap music continued to pound through the speakers as Schuyler began to sway her body close to Kyle's. She put her arms around his neck, and slithered closer, moving her body to the beat. Still aware of Jack's watchful eyes, she blushed.

Trying to forget about Jack, Schuyler began to feel dizzy again. She willed the feeling to stop, knowing fully well that she would have to take care of it soon.

"Let's go somewhere… quieter." Schuyler forced the seductive blaze into her eyes, forcing him to watch her, as if he was in a trace. She took his hand and led him upstairs, to her room. He stumbled up the stairs, but Schuyler managed to keep him on his feet.

She padded across the hallway, and opened her door slowly, smiling at him the whole time. She led him to her bed, where he sat down, nearly tipping over. Schuyler looked at him, while he stared at her shirt.

"Um." she paused, not knowing what to do next. She looked away, and as soon as she looked back, Kyle's lips hit hers. He pushed his drunken body onto hers as he started to take off his shirt. Schuyler's eyes widened as she witnessed it. She didn't stop kissing him, because she would be too mortified to start it up again. When he finally got it off, he started unbuttoning Schuyler's. She pulled his hands back, and leaned him against the wall. She grimaced.

It just felt so wrong. His lips felt foreign and odd to her, and she didn't like it. While his hands roamed over her body, she tried to ignore the nausea that washed over her. She brought her lips down to his neck and slowly shifted her jaw until her fangs were completely extracted. Slowly, she leaned her face closer to his neck, and she could feel the warm blood rush from his veins. Like Oliver, she felt and saw his feelings and memories.

As soon as she was finished, she retracted her fangs and wiped her mouth on a tissue. She made sure he was comfortable sitting there, because he had fallen fast asleep. She propped up her pillow, and waited for her new familiar to wake.


End file.
